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CHICAGO (WLS) — As a cold front sweeps through Chicago, some elderly residents of Evergreen Tower have resorted to using portable heaters and ovens to keep warm. They report ongoing heating problems in many of the apartments.
Evergreen Tower resident Patricia Jordan expressed her frustration, saying, “The more we complain, the more we hear, ‘We’re working on it.’ And honestly, that’s the truth.”
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In Jordan’s apartment, the steady hum of a small portable heater has become a crucial part of daily life.
“In the mornings, it feels like we’re outside,” Jordan remarked. “Many tenants are getting fed up with the situation. My hands right now are ice cold.”
She added, “If I turn off my oven, you can almost see frost forming in this room.”
Jordan says she has been forced to use those methods to stay warm in her unit since November while a majority of the other senior living homes at Evergreen Tower have low heat or none at all.
“There is a wall unit along the wall here,” Jordan said. “It cuts on. It cuts off, and that’s the end of it.”
That frustration comes as the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory through 8 a.m. Wednesday.
SEE ALSO | Chicago weather this week includes snow storm into Wednesday, followed by cold blast
So, with bitterly cold temperatures in the forecast, many portable heaters will still be blaring inside until, residents say, the issue is fixed.
“He said, ‘This is beyond what I can do.’ And that was just a regular person who repairs things in the building,” said Evergreen Tower resident Elnora Danchimah. “They say, ‘Well, we’ll get to you.’ That was three months ago, but yet, I’m paying rent.”
Some residents say they are seeing their light bills soar, too, because they are using portable heaters and their ovens to stay warm.
“Here I am, 79 years old, and it’s no reason for me to have to live this way,” Jordan said.
ABC7’s own messages left for the property manager were not immediately returned.
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