Park Forest residents say they're without AC as dangerous heat grips Chicagoland

PARK FOREST, Ill. - Some in Chicago's south suburbs say they are living without air conditioning as dangerous heat has settled over the Chicago area this week.

What we know:

Residents at Autumn Ridge Apartments & Townhomes say their air conditioning is not working during one of the hottest weeks of the summer.

Multiple tenants told FOX Chicago they are struggling to stay cool inside their apartments.

Robert Boyd, who has lived at the complex since 2023, said he worries about himself and his two dogs and that he has not had working sinks in his apartment for about six or seven months.

"It's terrible. Especially when you don't have working sinks, where you can constantly get water for you or your dogs or whatever. So you got to come out, leave the dogs in the house, go get cold water, come back," he said.

Boyd said he comes home from work during his lunch break to check on his dogs because he is afraid they could become sick while he is away.

"So the apartment is actually hot right now, but I got one air conditioner that's keeping one room kind of cool, so we winging it right now."

Another resident, Jusena Spencer-Wiggs, also said the problems at the complex go far beyond the lack of air conditioning.

"We've had plumbing issues, flooding like a rain forest constantly in the lobby," Spencer-Wiggs said. "There's a hole in the wall with mold and running water as we speak. The doors are not locked. We have squatters."

She said many residents want to leave but cannot afford to move.

"I've paid faithfully for seven years," she said. "But yeah, I'm at my wits' end. I am tired. A lot of us can't afford to just move. We just can't."

This isn't the first time

Residents say this is the second summer in a row they have gone without air conditioning.

FOX Chicago reported that tenants spent much of June 2025 without working AC. The Village of Park Forest later issued four $750 citations against the property's owners.

Then, in January 2026, residents again contacted us after parts of the complex lost heat during winter. One building was condemned because it did not have heat, forcing people living in 17 apartments to relocate.

What's next:

The Village of Park Forest went to court earlier this year seeking a change in ownership of the property, and a court notice posted at the leasing office shows ownership changed in March.

Additionally, a notice posted at the complex says HVAC work was scheduled for this week. However, residents said they are still without air conditioning and the extreme heat is expected to last through at least Thursday.

FOX Chicago said it called the leasing office for comment and to ask when repairs would be completed, but those calls were not answered.

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