ST. LOUIS — "We are in urgent need," said Sharon Williams, the president of the residents' association at the Homer G. Phillips Senior Living apartment building, located near Whittier Street and Kennerly Avenue in north St. Louis.
Williams told 5 On Your Side for weeks, she and many of her neighbors have encountered problem after problem at the building.
"There's mold, gnat infestation, mice and rodents everywhere..." Williams said.
She lives at the building with her 78-year-old mother.
Williams said a Portland, Maine-based company leases the building from the City of St. Louis.
"Eagle Point Management Company, who's managed the building for the past three and a half years, has neglected the building," Williams said.
Tenants said one of the three elevators in the seven-story building has been broken for eight months. They also said for the past two weeks, central air units in at least 15 apartments have not worked properly.
City officials said the property manager bought tenants air conditioners.
"Those AC units are small. The apartments are big, so they only really cool one room. It's uncomfortable for the people affected," Williams said.
There are 220 apartments in the city-owned apartment building, and tenants range from 55 to 99 years old.
"They do fix some of the things, but it just takes them a while to get it done," tenant Marilyn Hill said. "There's a broken light fixture outside, and the front main gate is still broken. When you come here at night, you never know who you are going to run into because the gates are always opened. So as a result, I do have safety concerns."
Conner Kerrigan, a spokesperson for the City of St. Louis, said the building's property manager brought in a pest control crew last month to "handle a bed bug infestation as well as mice issues."
Kerrigan also said days later, the "elevator and HVAC system at the building were being repaired."
In a statement, Kerrigan added, "To the best of my knowledge, there are no new reports on issues at the building. Residents should report ongoing issues to the city's Citizens' Service Bureau so the city can continue to be as helpful as possible for these residents."
"I just don't agree with a lot of what the city is being told," Williams said. "It's really misleading the public."
Tenants know rising summertime temperatures will soon return. and fears are rising.
"Somebody's going to die because, right now, people either still don't have central air or, again, those small AC units just aren't keeping tenants' entire apartments cool and safe in my opinion," Williams said.
5 On Your Side reached out to Eagle Point Management for reaction to the tenants' claims. They provided the following statement:
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.