Residents at South Bend apartment complex claim building is infested with bed bugs

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- Karl King Tower is a senior living facility with residents on a fixed income in subsidized units. People just wanting an affordable, safe place to live, but residents inside say they’ve lived with a beg bug infestation for years, and property managers are not handling it.

“I have plenty of bed bugs. Everybody in the building has bed bugs even got ‘em in the office," said Dolores Winfield, a resident.

Winfield moved in about 2 years ago. She didn’t know her apartment came with a roommate – or roommates – a colony of insects.

She says the building has been filled with bed bugs since she moved in – leaving bites all across her body.

Ashley Noris has a 90-year old grandmother in the building. She says the bed bugs aren’t just irritating, but causing serious health concerns.

“She’s paranoid. She sprays her bed with alcohol every night before she goes to bed. I’ve watch her health decline in the past couple of years and I do think a lot of it has to do with her living conditions," said Noris.

Noris has also spent years trying to get property managers to address the issue -- even calling the health department, but Noris says managers have only called an exterminator to spray her grandma’s unit once.

“I want them to treat and treat repeatedly. It’s not a situation where you can treat once and the bugs go away you have to treat over and over and over every month to get ‘em to finally disperse," said Noris.

Neighbors confirm management sprayed the building back in May, but it’s November, and the infestation is still going on.

“It’s hard to find a place to go to. The rent is $200 and something dollars a month. If I could find somewhere else to go that I could pay that much money I would. I’d be ready to go," said Winfield.

The leasing office has not responded to our calls. The St. Joseph County Health Department is aware of the issue and residents plan to file a complaint with HUD.