Community Corner
Resident At South City Apartment Complex Says Bed Bug Infestation Is Prompting Her To Sleep In Her Car
Alycia Polk says she is living out of her car after experiencing an infestation of bed bugs in her unit at the La Salle Park Apartments .
January 26, 2021
Alycia Polk says she is living out of her car after experiencing an infestation of bed bugs in her unit at the La Salle Park Apartments in South City. “By 2:00 a.m., our kids woke up itching, I woke up itching and I didn’t know what was going on,” she said. She says two days after moving in January, bed bugs were everywhere. She showed News 4 an insect trap she placed in her hallway overnight, which showed nearly 20 bed bugs on it. “The whole complex is infested,” she said. Concerned for her health, Polk says she now sends her kids to stay with family while she sleeps out of her car. Another resident at Lasalle Park told News 4 she’s been dealing with bed bugs for two years. “I just recently threw away all of the furniture from my house,” she said. The St. Louis Housing Authority owns and oversees the complex. However, it is managed by a third-party private company, Chicago-based Eastlake Management. News 4 reported on startling concerns with Eastlake in 2019. Tenants complained about a roach infestation at an East St. Louis complex, a woman at a South City apartment battled severe flooding and at least two other Housing Authority apartments have seen complaints about rodents. Eastlake manages around 70 percent of the St. Louis Housing Authority properties. News 4 sent the Housing Authority a list of questions on why they continue to contract with Eastlake despite all of their issues. A representative says they are looking into the problem. News 4 reached out to Eastlake for a comment, but have not heard back.
