70-year-old Chicago tenant pleads for safe housing: 'I just want to get out of this apartment alive'
70-year-old Chicago tenant pleads for safe housing: 'I just want to get out of this apartment alive'
A 70-year-old South Side tenant says a broken elevator has left her trapped in her third-floor apartment for more than eight months and unable to attend medical appointments.
CHICAGO - "I just want to get out of this apartment alive."
That is the plea from 70-year-old Yvette Thomas, who says deteriorating conditions inside her South Side apartment building have left her struggling to get to medical appointments, afraid for her safety and being unable to sleep through the night.
Thomas lives on the third floor of a five-story apartment building in the 4700 block of South Michigan Avenue.
She has serious health and mobility issues and says the building's elevator has been out of service for more than eight months.
For Thomas, she says, an elevator isn't an amenity. It's a lifeline.
"That I'm supposed to be in a building that has an elevator," Thomas told FOX Chicago when asked what the outage means for her ability to get in and out of her home.
FOX Chicago goes inside
The backstory:
Thomas contacted FOX Chicago with a list of concerns about both her apartment and the building.
We went to see the conditions for ourselves.
FOX Chicago was able to walk through the building's entrance without a key or being buzzed in. Inside, we observed damaged mailboxes, smelled a strong urine odor and spotted a roach.
The elevator did not respond when FOX Chicago pressed the button.
Three flights up, we found Thomas.
"Miss Yvette, I don't know how you're doing this," FOX Chicago's Tia Ewing told her after climbing the stairs.
Inside Thomas' apartment, FOX Chicago observed a large section of the ceiling missing.
Thomas says water came through the damaged area and submerged electronics and cords. She says her Life Alert system stopped working after equipment was exposed to the water.
When Ewing asked Thomas when management planned to repair the ceiling, Thomas responded, "I have no idea."
"They haven't given you a timeline at all?" Ewing asked.
"No," Thomas said.
"It's unsafe"
Thomas says she has undergone numerous surgeries, requires daily medication and medical care, and has fallen repeatedly.
She says the elevator was working when she moved into the building about three years ago after spending two years in a nursing home.
"This was the building that they put me in because they knew I had the elevator," Thomas said. "We didn't have no problem with the elevator breaking when I first moved in."
Thomas says broken entry doors and unauthorized people inside the building have also left her afraid.
"How do you feel living here?" Ewing asked. "What does it feel like living here on a daily basis?"
"Fear for my life," Thomas said. "It's unsafe."
Rent, medication and a five-day notice
Thomas' housing is subsidized through Catholic Charities. She told FOX Chicago she had been responsible for paying "three hundred and something dollars" per month while Catholic Charities paid the larger share.
Thomas acknowledges she is now more than $10,000 behind on her portion of the rent.
She says she stopped paying after expensive medication delivered to the building was stolen, leaving her with a choice between paying rent and replacing medicine she says she needs to survive.
"So you had to choose?" Ewing asked.
"You have to choose rent or medicine, exactly," Thomas responded. "And I will die without that medicine."
Thomas says she has since received a five-day notice.
She also says Catholic Charities has inspected the conditions and notified management that repairs need to be made.
Regalshore responds
Regalshore Property Management, which manages the property locally, disputes the suggestion that Thomas' maintenance concerns have gone unanswered.
"Our records do not support the suggestion that Ms. Thomas's maintenance requests have been ignored," Regalshore said in a statement to FOX Chicago. "She has regularly used our maintenance system to report issues, management/maintenance has responded to those requests, and there are currently no open maintenance work orders for her unit."
The company said when Thomas previously reported what she believed was mold in her bathroom, maintenance inspected the area and found no signs of mold, instead documenting soap and scum buildup around the ceramic tile. Regalshore said that work order was completed.
Management acknowledged problems with the elevator but did not provide FOX Chicago with a timeline for restoring service.
"Management is aware of the issue and has been actively working with its elevator service contractor, including service calls and troubleshooting," Regalshore said. "Because that work involves a third-party elevator contractor, we do not want to provide a completion date until the contractor has confirmed one."
Regalshore also said it has "taken substantial steps to address unauthorized access and security concerns at the property, including utilizing manned security and working with local law enforcement and community resources."
During FOX Chicago's visit, our crew saw no evidence of manned security and was able to walk into the building without a key, buzzer or anyone stopping us.
Management disputes circumstances surrounding 5-day notice
Regalshore also pushed back against any suggestion that Thomas received the five-day notice because she complained about maintenance.
"Any suggestion that the notice was issued in retaliation for Ms. Thomas raising maintenance concerns, or in an effort to remove her because of those concerns, would be inaccurate," the company said.
According to Regalshore, Thomas was seeking financial assistance for her outstanding balance, and her housing representative at Catholic Charities told management she needed a notarized five-day notice, as instructed by the King Center, to begin the assistance process.
Regalshore said those conversations occurred before FOX Chicago's Sept. 7 media inquiry.
The company declined to provide an exact amount it believes Thomas owes, saying her account includes both rental-assistance payments and tenant obligations and is still being reconciled.
"We therefore do not want to provide you with a potentially misleading figure before that reconciliation is complete," Regalshore said.
Ownership more than 700 miles away
Cook County property records list MD Chicago Holdings LLC as the owner of the property, with a mailing address in Brooklyn, New York — more than 700 miles from Chicago.
Online advertisements for apartments at 4725 S. Michigan Ave. list units starting around $1,600 a month and advertise an elevator as an amenity.
Regalshore said it is reviewing the additional issues FOX Chicago raised and "will address any current condition requiring attention."
Thomas, who says she spent much of her working life in health care, including as a phlebotomist, CNA and emergency medical technician, says she now wants someone to care about the conditions in which she is living.
At night, she says, that means sleeping only an hour or two at a time.
"When is the last time you've had eight hours of sleep in your apartment?" Ewing asked.
"Oh God. I don't," Thomas said. "I sleep an hour, I'm up. I sleep two hours, and I'm up. That's why I'm so tired. I don't sleep here."
For Thomas, her request is simple.
"I just want to get out of this apartment alive because I never know from one day to the next what's going to happen."
The Source: The information in this report came from interviews with the tenant, on-site reporting by FOX Chicago's Tia Ewing, a statement from Regalshore Property Management, Cook County property records and online apartment listings.