A Chicago mother says she and her three children have been living above two fire-damaged apartments for more than four months while waiting for the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) to relocate them.
Chiquita Wilson lives on the third floor of a building on Maypole Avenue in the Near West Side with her children, including her nine-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. The fire broke out on 3 May 2026, damaging the first- and second-floor flats beneath the family’s home.
Wilson said the family fled when the blaze started and stayed elsewhere for about a month before returning. She said her request to move was rejected because her own apartment was deemed habitable.
“When the fire happened, I asked management to move me,” Wilson said. “They told me since my unit was deemed still habitable that they’re not allowed to move. I have to stay here.”
Chicago mother living above fire-damaged apartments
Wilson said the smell of smoke remains noticeable inside the building, particularly near the vacant units. She also reported seeing cockroaches in her apartment and said she had tried to tackle the problem herself.
She keeps the windows open because of concerns about the air, despite saying that it leaves her and her children cold. Wilson believes pests and other environmental conditions may have affected the family’s health, although the available medical results do not establish that the building caused their illnesses.
Her 10-year-old son has been coughing, missed school and has been diagnosed with asthma, according to Wilson. Tests she provided showed elevated responses to German cockroaches and a type of mould, but the results do not identify where exposure occurred.
A Chicago Department of Buildings inspection on 10 August, more than three months after the fire, failed and recorded four alleged code violations. They included boarded-up second-floor windows, damaged or missing window screens and debris such as plywood and screws around an exterior porch.
The inspection record did not state that Wilson’s third-floor apartment had to be vacated. Questions remain over what checks were carried out after the fire and how the building was assessed as safe for the family to continue living in.
Wilson has since received a letter approving her CHA transfer request because of what the authority described as “current properties environmental factors”. However, she said she has not been given a new address or a date for the move.
CHA guidance says transfer waiting times depend on when an application was made and whether a suitable unit becomes available. Wilson said she had been told the authority did not yet know when a property could be found for her family.
“So me and my children just still have to live here and be forced to breathe in these elements,” she said.
Wilson said her limited income and reliance on subsidised housing meant she could not simply rent another home privately. “As a mother, it’s extremely difficult,” she said. “I have many nights where I cry because what am I doing to my kids? I can’t even just uproot us.”
Chicago police are investigating who started the 3 May fire. The CHA has been asked about the post-fire inspections, Wilson’s continued occupation of the building and the timetable for her approved transfer.
