New London — The protracted battle to find new homes for the families at Thames River Apartments is nearing an end.

New London Housing Authority Executive Director Roy Boling said his hope is to see all of the 124 families moved out of the outdated federally subsidized housing complex by the end of the year.

That will be accomplished with Section 8 vouchers issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the approval of a disposition application and acknowledgment that the high-rises off Crystal Avenue are obsolete and beyond repair.

The New London Housing Authority board of commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to officially file that 1,438-page application. Boling said a draft already is under review by HUD officials and the final application with any needed adjustments will be filed by the end of August.

Tuesday’s vote is one in a string of accomplishments by the board in recent months to address the needs of residents who for years have complained of unsanitary and unsafe conditions.

The board last month approved a contract with the Housing Authority of New Haven, known as Elm City Communities, and The Glendower groups, its redevelopment arm. Glendower next month will start assessments of the residents and work to find housing for them. The Section 8 vouchers will allow residents to live anywhere in the country.

Boling, who started with the Housing Authority in January after an overhaul in the makeup of the commission and the abrupt departure of the former director, said milestones are being reached at every recent meeting.

“No one can say there hasn’t been forward movement as far as relocating the residents of Thames River,” he said.

Commission member Jeanette Parker, a resident of Thames River Apartments, said there is a palpable sense of hope among the residents because of the recent achievements.

“I’m trying to be patient and positive,” Parker said. “We’re starting to feel better about things.”

Parker said she would like to see people out by October, about the time colder weather moves in and the residents will start to wonder again whether or not they will have hot water.

Issues with the water are among a list of complaints from residents who have had to contend with rodent infestations, mold issues and a general lack of maintenance at the 50-year-old complex.

The conditions at the apartments were the focus of a long running class-action lawsuit brought by residents who are represented by New London attorney Robert Reardon.

Reardon secured a stipulated judgment with the Housing Authority in 2014 that provided for a three-year schedule for rehabilitation or redevelopment of the apartments.

The Housing Authority last year teamed up with a Massachusetts organization that had plans for a 124-unit affordable housing complex on Cedar Grove Avenue, the site of the former Edgerton School. The project was delayed and recently resubmitted as a 72-unit proposal that, if approved, would not likely get built until 2018.

With many of the deadlines in the agreement missed, Reardon has moved to reopen the judgment.

In a June 16 letter, Reardon has asked for a status conference with Boling, Mayor Michael Passero, Housing Authority board Chairwoman Betsy Gibson, a HUD representative and city Human Services Director Jeanne Milstein.

Reardon said on Tuesday he had not heard back from anyone notified of his request.

g.smith@theday.com