Chiquita Wilson has spent more than four months living on the third floor of a Maypole Avenue apartment building with two fire-damaged units sitting empty just below her family. The mother of three says she's still waiting for the Chicago Housing Authority to tell her where — or when — she and her children will be moved.
The fire broke out on May 3, damaging two apartments in the Near West Side building, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Wilson and her children fled the building when the fire started, and the family stayed away for about a month afterward before returning. Wilson requested a transfer after the fire, and the station reports the Chicago Housing Authority approved her transfer request based on current environmental factors.
Wilson's housing is subsidized through CHA, and she says her income is limited, leaving her with few options while she waits. Management told her that her third-floor unit was still considered habitable even as the first- and second-floor apartments below her remained vacant. Wilson described the ongoing situation bluntly, saying, “Living here is trauma.”
Smoke, Pests and a Failed Inspection
Wilson says smoke odor is present in her apartment all the time, and during a tour with the station's reporting team, that odor remained noticeable near the damaged units. She also reported roaches and other pests inside her apartment, and said she keeps windows open because she's worried about the air quality indoors.
Those concerns are layered on top of a Chicago Department of Buildings inspection conducted on August 10, which failed and listed four alleged code violations. The violations included boarded second-floor windows, missing or torn window screens, and exterior porch debris, per the same account. The inspection record does not indicate that Wilson's third-floor apartment was ordered vacated.
A Son's Asthma Diagnosis
Wilson's 10-year-old son has developed coughing and received an asthma diagnosis, and he has missed a couple of days of school as a result. Medical testing on the family showed elevated responses to German cockroach and a type of mold, but that testing does not establish where the exposure occurred or that conditions inside the building caused the family's health problems.
Wilson said she was told CHA had to wait until it found an available unit before her family could move, and as of the report, the agency had not told her where or when that relocation would happen. FOX 32 Chicago says it asked CHA about post-fire inspections, the family's continued occupancy, and the timeline for a transfer as part of its reporting.
Housing Conditions Beyond Chicago
Complaints about pest infestations and unlivable conditions in subsidized or student housing have surfaced elsewhere this year. In August, college students at Yugo Apartments told WTVA they found rat droppings, roaches and rotting food inside their units on move-in day. That case is unrelated to Wilson's situation but reflects similar frustrations tenants have raised about property upkeep and management response times.
For now, Wilson is left waiting for a new unit and a relocation date, with no confirmed timeline from CHA. Her family remains on the third floor above the two damaged apartments while Chicago police continue investigating who started the May 3 fire.
