Low-income apartments in metro-east lost air conditioning. What’s being done?
Two local apartment properties that serve low-income residents didn’t have working air conditioning systems this week during an ongoing summer heat wave, when temperatures have been in the 90s with triple-digit heat index values.
Residents affected by the issue live at the Jazz at Walter Circle in East St. Louis, a public housing building for seniors, and Centreville Courts in Cahokia Heights, an affordable housing complex that was constructed with money from the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
At Centreville Courts, resident Peter White said his central air conditioning hasn’t worked at all this year.
“They told me that they didn’t have the money to pay no extra maintenance person no more,” White said of the property ownership. “So now they don’t have no maintenance person at all. And I got more issues than air conditioning.”
Another resident and mother of three, Vikki Monroe, said her air conditioner isn’t able to cool the entire home, particularly upstairs.
Both Monroe and White said they purchased window units themselves to help keep cool during the hot temperatures and high humidity in the metro-east.
“I’m literally asking people if they have fans or AC units to help,” Monroe said. “It’s so hot in here. … It’s not livable.”
About six miles away, Janet Tidwell, who lives at Jazz at Walter Circle, said her air conditioner didn’t seem to be running at its full capacity on Thursday morning and that she had also made a purchase to help cool down.
“I ain’t gonna lie; it’s working but it ain’t full force. … I bought two fans yesterday, so it’s just kind of helping,” Tidwell said.
Theresa Johnson, executive director of the East St. Louis Housing Authority, which oversees the Jazz at Walter Circle, detailed the steps the agency has taken to respond to the air conditioning interruption in an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat.
The Burton Foundation, the nonprofit owner of Centreville Courts, didn’t respond to multiple requests on Thursday for comment about its air conditioning issue and when it might be resolved.
Repairs scheduled
The East St. Louis Housing Authority this week purchased and installed portable or window air conditioning units for each resident’s apartment, according to Johnson.
She said the installations happened within 24 hours of a resident reporting an air conditioning outage, and that staff went door-to-door checking on others who may have been affected but hadn’t reported it. Not every unit was without air conditioning, according to Johnson and several residents.
“We know how important it is to have air in this time,” Johnson said. “We are addressing it. … Today, everybody in the building will have a unit. Even if they have air, they’re still installing just in case.”
The housing authority hopes to have the building’s air conditioning system fully restored by Monday, when repairs to a motor are scheduled to take place, according to Johnson.
Among those concerned about the seniors at Jazz at Walter Circle were former East St. Louis mayor Robert Eastern III and the East Side Health District. Eastern said he started raising money Wednesday in the hopes of sending Jazz at Walter Circle residents to a hotel if needed until the air conditioning could be fixed.
Public Health Administrator Elizabeth Patton-Whiteside said in a statement that East Side Health District workers also took action Wednesday, contacting Johnson to discuss potential solutions.
‘Nothing in here works’
White said residents at Centreville Courts have been dealing with air conditioning issues for a while, as well as other problems like water leaks causing damage and mold.
“Nothing in here works either,” he said of his apartment. “My oven don’t work. My furnace don’t work. I just had to unstop my sinks so they could work. It’s a lot more than air conditioning that’s going on out here.”
Last year, the owner told tenants the apartment complex was closing for financial reasons, but the Illinois Housing Development Authority stepped in to stop the closure after the Belleville News-Democrat started asking questions about the property.
“Ownership has recently made significant progress with finding help and support for this development to continue its operations,” the Burton Foundation, which is operating in Cahokia Heights under the name Partnership 18 LP, wrote in a September 2024 letter to residents.
“... There will be a lot of work to do on the owner’s part as well as property management but we will work hard to make the property improvements to the exterior and interior of the buildings with the least amount of disturbance to you and your family.”
Before moving into an affordable apartment at Centreville Courts, Monroe said she and her children had been staying in cars, hotels or with family. Now, she said she can’t get the landlord to fix her air conditioner or leaky pipes that have caused holes to form in the ceiling of her garage and kitchen.
“I can’t use the bathroom that’s in my room because that’s the one that leaks through my kitchen,” Monroe said. “They’ve known about all this since last year. I don’t know what else to do, you know? … I cannot catch a break.”
