HUD apartments with no AC during extreme heat in Decatur

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND)- Central Illinois is experiencing extreme heat and humidity. But some residents at the Greenwood Manor Apartments told WAND News, there is no escaping the heat, as their air conditioning has been out all week.

John Wallace has lived at Greenwood Manor for about 5 years. He said this week- he's had to get creative.

"I've got one big fan right there behind you that the management brought up here for me. I've got an Artic Air that you've seen on tv, and I've got a hillbilly swamp cooler right there," Wallace explained.

Even with these devices rigged up, its still hot in his apartment.

"These buildings are getting hotter. As the days go on the walls are getting hotter, the bricks are getting hotter- everything is turning into an oven in here," Wallace told WAND News.

Wallace said his air conditioning went out about three months ago, after a company came in to repair the units on top of his building.

"I checked it about 2 weeks ago just to see if it would work- and I knew I was in trouble," Wallace added.

Wallace, who suffers from COPD and diabetes, said he had a panic attack on the first hot day.

"this cooler here, I had it in the freezer for 4 days. I pulled it out, and shot that air in my face- then I started feeling a little better," Wallace said.

He's also been working to get answers from the company who worked on his HVAC unit. He also has been calling the managers who run the federally-subsidized property.

"Its been just miserable. We've got kids around here, and old people// there's just no reason for us to be suffering," Wallace explained.

WAND News reached out to the management of the Greenwood Manor Apartments to find out if a company was coming to fix this air conditioning issue, but they did not respond.

WAND News also learned the property is not run by the Decatur Housing Authority, but instead by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office (HUD). We reached out to the Illinois HUD office to learn more, but also did not receive a response.

Wallace said the Greenwood Manor managers informed him an HVAC company would be completing repairs on another building, in the complex, later this week.

WAND News will continue following this developing story.