City responds after 70-year-old pleads to escape unsafe Chicago apartment

CHICAGO - A broken elevator has left 70-year-old Yvette Thomas relying on the stairs to get in and out of her South Side apartment building. Now, even the stairwell is raising concerns.

"Oh, shoot," Thomas said as a banister pulled away from the wall at the building in the 4700 block of South Michigan Avenue.

"I need to get out of here, that’s for sure," she said.

Thomas has lived in the five-story building for three years. She contacted FOX Chicago outlining a list of concerns inside her apartment and throughout the property, including a broken elevator, pests, security issues and deteriorating conditions.

FOX Chicago went to investigate.

Days after our initial report, the response from the city was swift — but a review of city records shows the problems at the property are anything but new.

68 pages reveal years of problems

The building is managed by Regalshore Property Management and owned by M&D Chicago Holdings LLC, which purchased the property in 2023 for $2.75 million.

FOX Chicago reviewed 68 pages of city records documenting complaints, inspections and violations at the property.

Some of those violations predate the current owner. However, since the 2023 purchase, FOX Chicago identified at least two dozen violations in the records reviewed.

The word "mice" appears 14 times. "Roach" appears five.

Then there is the elevator.

References to the elevator appear more than 300 times throughout the records reviewed by FOX Chicago, showing a years-long history of compliance issues involving the equipment.

Ald. Pat Dowell, whose 3rd Ward includes the building, saw some of the conditions firsthand.

"This apartment is disgusting," Dowell said.

Catholic Charities gives owner 15 days

Catholic Charities, which subsidizes roughly 70% of Thomas’ rent, inspected her unit and flagged several conditions, including ceiling damage, smoke detector concerns, evidence of mice and the broken elevator.

The property owner was given 15 days to address repairs.

But city records show enforcement involving the building has already made its way into court.

The current owner was facing two city cases and was previously cited for failing to maintain the building’s hydraulic elevator equipment in safe working condition.

"They’ve paid the fine and nothing has happened," Dowell said during a conversation with FOX Chicago. "You gotta do something with the list."

And that list stretches back decades.

City inspection records reviewed by FOX Chicago show failed inspections dating back to 2005, spanning multiple owners.

‘Did you see Tia’s story?’

This week, after FOX Chicago's initial report aired, city inspectors returned.

More than half a dozen city departments and agencies responded to the property, examining conditions ranging from unsecured mailboxes to vacant units.

For Thomas, the sudden attention was emotional.

"I shouldn’t have to come to this, and I thank God that all of you came out," she said.

FOX Chicago asked Mayor Brandon Johnson why the response came now, despite a lengthy record of problems at the building.

"I’ve never seen a response to a story like this that I’ve done or anyone else has done," FOX Chicago’s Tia Ewing told the mayor. "Why this? Why now?"

Johnson said the story quickly got his attention.

"They said, ‘Did you see Tia’s story?’ Once my phone was blowing up … this response was the right response, and this is what the people of Chicago have elected me to do — show up for them," Johnson said.

But the question now is what happens after city workers leave.

"We’re talking about 68 pages of records — and people can still rent here," Ewing told the mayor.

Johnson pointed to the court process and the need to make sure the documented violations receive the necessary attention.

"It has to go through the courts," Johnson said, adding that the city must make sure "these violations get the attention they require."

A birthday wish: ‘I hope I am not here’

For Thomas, another inspection, citation or fine isn't the outcome she wants.

She wants to leave.

Thomas turns 71 on Oct. 12, and when asked what she wants for her birthday, her answer was simple.

"We gonna celebrate 71 years on October 12," Thomas said. "I hope I am not here, and that’s the best birthday present I can ever get."

After years of documented problems, Thomas says she is grateful someone finally showed up.

"I thank God y’all came," she said.