East Garfield Park apartment residents say they've been without heat since November

CHICAGO - As the city opens a warming center at 10 S. Kedzie to assist with bitter-cold temperatures, residents tell FOX 32 that low-income apartment buildings nearby have been without heat since November.

Shervazs Williams, a resident, said her heat hasn't worked since the first week of November.

Another resident, Angela Parchman, said, "They told us to buy heaters and open our ovens. Do you know how dangerous leaving our oven open is?"

Residents welcomed FOX 32 into their chilly apartments on Saturday. The no-heat complaints came from multiple families living in the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza Apartments in the 3200 block of West Madison.

As temperatures have dropped, residents have relied on space heaters, boiling water, and their ovens to stay warm.

Parchman received a notice from ComEd that her electricity usage increased 179% during this billing cycle. She said she pays nearly $1,400 every month to live there.

"We don't have carbon monoxide detectors, no fire extinguishers, and there are cracks and leaks in the ceiling," Parchman said.

The MLK Plaza Apartments include more than 15 buildings and 130 units for low-income families. It is unknown how many people are currently without heat. A pipe burst recently occurred in one of the buildings.

FOX 32 reached out to the building’s property management team for comment and has not yet received a response.

Ald. Jason Irvin, 28th Ward, said he was unaware of the heat outages and will work with the Department of Buildings and the owners to resolve the issue.