ST. LOUIS – Bed bugs, a lack of heat and hot water and unsafe living conditions are all complaints about a senior living apartment complex.
A resident told 5 On Your Side people living at the Homer G. Phillips Senior Community have been complaining for years and they've been ignored.
“I'm just concerned. I'm concerned about our safety,” said Walter Deloch, vice president of the Homer G. Phillips Residents Association.
Deloch said other issues, like a malfunctioning fire alarm, make for a downright dangerous situation.
“The alarm goes off sometimes midnight, three o'clock in the morning, sometimes ten. Sometimes it goes off all day long. Nobody calls security to say is there a fire. No one calls security to say we're coming down. Security don't call us and say there is a fire. It's just a false alarm.”
St. Louis’ Fourth Ward Alderman Samuel Moore said he's heard complaints about the property for years.
“When the power outages happen during the spring and summer storms the elevator will go out and they've got no backup generator. They talk about mice, roaches, mold," said Moore.
5 On Your Side checked city records and verified the complaints about mice, mold and even bed bugs.
Wednesday, the city stepped in.
Health Department and Building Division inspectors went through the apartment building. They found bed bugs in one apartment and they plan to check every other apartment Thursday.
Deloch said he and others have complained to the on-site manager, but the problems remain.
“I don't think she can do anything. I think this comes from the top down, not the bottom up,” he said.
The “top" is a Minnesota-based company called Dominium that manages the complex.
Deloch wants to sit down with dominium reps to get answers.
“We have problems here. If they can't address our problems, shut the place down. Move us somewhere else. Let's get out of here,” he said.
A spokesman for Dominium sent an email Wednesday that reads:
The staff and management of Homer G Phillips takes the health and well-being of our residents incredibly seriously. It is our top priority. When issues are brought to our attention, we do everything possible to address them in a timely and respectful manner.
Recently, we have experienced issues with both our heating system and our hot water boiler. We have taken steps to support residents affected by those issues as well as fix the problems in the long term. With regard to heat in the units, Homer G Phillips has engaged local contractors as well as HVAC experts from outside the state to identify the problem. This work is ongoing and we hope to have it resolved in the near future. We have provided residents who have alerted us that their heat is malfunctioning with electric heaters to ensure they can remain comfortable in their units. Additionally, the boiler outage that occurred last night has been addressed by installing a new igniter.”
We are also working to address intermittent problems regarding hot water. We are monitoring the boiler temperature on an hourly basis and taking steps to ensure that units have access to hot water; we have devoted significant staff resources to addressing these challenges. We have multiple staff people on site every day to address problems as they arise and work with residents to make sure they have what they need. We have worked very closely with residents directly affected to address their concerns. We continue to be committed to doing the very best for all our residents.
5 On Your Side will follow up with the health department to learn what Thursday’s inspections find.
