Tenants of a Park Forest apartment complex who last summer struggled through a heat wave without working air conditioning say they now lack heat.

“There’s so much — it’s never ending,” Jose Munoz said.

Munoz and his girlfriend, Abby Houck, say they and their infant daughter have been staying with friends and family members since Wednesday, when melting snow leaked through their building’s roof and into their sixth-floor apartment. The unit has been without heat since last spring, when they moved into Autumn Ridge, the couple says.

Autumn Ridge tenants have spoken out about consistent building issues for months, and property owners owe Park Forest more than $200,000 in fines for code violations dating back to June, village spokesperson Joshua Vinson said Friday.

Vinson said as of Friday, two units remained without heat, and property owners offered those tenants $2,500 to move out of the apartment complex.

Houck said she and Munoz declined the payment, saying the $2,500 is not enough for them to find a new place to live, especially so quickly. Due to the flooding from the roof, the couple has had to turn off electricity in most rooms to avoid a power surge or electrical fire.

A building at the Autumn Ridge Apartments complex in Park Forest June 23, 2025. (Mike Nolan/Daily Southtown)

“Even now, with driving back and forth so much, all of our food that we had just bought is sitting on our porch in a cooler to stay frozen,” Houck said. A GoFundMe page started by Houck’s and Munoz’s coworkers to secure a safe living environment for the family has so far raised more than $2,500.

Vinson said the village continues to monitor the conditions at Autumn Ridge and respond to tenant complaints with inspections.

“Since June, we’ve been able to work with the property management company to get air conditioners restored, fire alarms replaced, elevators repaired and even the boilers repaired or replaced,” Vinson said. “The village is proactively trying to make the current owners do what they need to do to the benefit of their tenants.”

Park Forest Trustee Randall White said he is working with state Sen. Patrick Joyce to raise money for the affected tenants and seek support from the Illinois attorney general’s office. White, who is also a pastor, said he dropped off several heating units donated at the beginning of winter, and during the summer heat wave donated water and air conditioning units.

“It’s a nightmare dealing with this facility,” White said. “It’s just a never-ending story. I think as a village we have to make some real decisions to whether or not we’re going to move forward with them being business owners in our community.”

White asked those who want to help Autumn Ridge community members reach out to him at 708-300-5048.

Munoz and Houck expressed frustrations the village has not yet taken steps to shut down the apartment complex.

“I wouldn’t wish living there on anybody,” Munoz said. “I don’t understand why they won’t condemn the place.”

Vinson said village officials have spoken privately about “what that would look like,” but they don’t want to displace residents.

“Where would these people go?” Vinson asked. “It’s not like the village owns any apartment complex … If you say, OK, we’ll put them in a hotel — for how long?”

Meanwhile, Munoz and Houck said they are weighing legal action against the property owners and hope to avoid sleeping in their car, away from the dangerous living conditions of the apartment. Houck’s birthday is on Saturday, and Munoz said he hopes to “make it feel as normal as I can for her.”

ostevens@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/tenants-without-heat-autumn-ridge-park-forest/