Chicago public housing residents claim poor living conditions, demand action

CHICAGO - Some Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) residents are sounding the alarm about their living conditions.

The tenants living at CHA's Washington Park Homes are demanding repairs and sanitary housing conditions. They say they've had to live with mysterious rashes, lack of heat, mold, lack of repairs, and sewage water leaking into their kitchens.

The residents decided to make their voices heard by organizing together. Many of them say they've reached out to CHA and East Lake Management only to get no response or to be threatened with eviction for speaking out. Many are afraid that demanding change will jeopardize their subsidized rent.

Theresa Stephenson says she's lived in CHA since 2008 and this summer went without heat.

"My unit has no insulation. There have been times when I had to use big blankets to put on my children's windows. I'm currently having issues with mold in my unit as of December of this year. An inspector came out on Jan. 26 and the results were determined it was indeed mold. No one has been scheduled to clean the mold," Stephenson said.

FOX 32 has reached out to CHA on this story, but we've not yet heard back.