The neighborhood with the most properties on the list is Austin, with six. North Lawndale, Roseland, Englewood and Woodlawn all have at least three properties on the list.
“We’ve complained, [the landlord] just don’t do anything,” Williams said Tuesday morning, explaining that his mother, Jacqueline Bradfield, pays about $900 a month for the third-floor apartment in the 6400 block of South Yale Avenue in Englewood.
Pointing to chipped paint on one wall, Williams said, “That’s just the beginning.”
Every window in the apartment is lined with thick plastic and covered with heavy drapes to stop heat from escaping.
Williams said they have two space heaters in every room.
“We’d be freezing without them,” he said.
Williams said he and his mother have to “get creative” to keep their unit comfortable, relying on multiple space heaters and even boiling water continuously on the stove for added warmth.
“I can’t even bring my kids here because of the mold,” he said. “They’re asthmatic.”
His mother’s pantry is dark, with exposed wires poking out where there should be an overhead light fixture.
One side of the kitchen sink works, the other half has a bucket below it. The bathroom sink hasn’t worked in five years. When they need to wash their hands, they use their tub.