Former Leland House residents retrieve their belongings months after chaotic shutdown

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Months after the chaotic shutdown of a Detroit apartment building, former residents have finally had the chance to retrieve their belongings after being evacuated just after Thanksgiving.

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For months, former residents of the Leland House in Detroit have waited to get back inside the apartment building after they were forced to evacuate in December. The building lost power, and there were a number of safety issues that had to be addressed before residents could even start to collect their belongings.

Well, that time has finally arrived, and starting Tuesday, former tenants are being allowed to begin the process of retrieving their belongings.

It has been an emotional process for many former residents. The building is still deemed unsafe, so fire crews and police are on scene, and residents have to waive personal liability.

For many, collecting their items is a way to end one chapter so they can start a new one.

"Today is the first day where tenants are going to have the opportunity to go into the building with an elevator the City of Detroit fixed, lights the City of Detroit is providing, on a schedule the city set up, allowing residents to access their apartments and take our personal belongings," said one resident.

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The building has a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and is in the process of being sold.

There are a total of 38 households in the building, and former residents have a four-hour window to grab small personal items, with up to two people allowed to assist.

At a later date, the city will have professional packers retrieve the larger items, which will be delivered to the tenants’ current locations.