“They need to give us more solutions,” resident Patricia Clay said. “I don’t know what else to do.”
Officials with the SMHA could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
County health officials were called to the complex Aug. 15 on a report of an infestation. They found a male resident covered with bedbugs, even finding some in his shoes.
Clay said the infestation in her apartment exploded in a matter of weeks.
“They’re everywhere,” she said. “I haven’t seen my grandchildren in 12 weeks ... I’m afraid of bringing (bedbugs) to them.”
The Clark County Combined Health District doesn’t have jurisdiction over the problem because bedbugs don’t spread disease and therefore pose no public health threat, said Dan Chatfield, director of environmental health.
A meeting between residents and SMHA representatives reached a boiling point Aug. 19 when angry tenants shouted down housing officials.
In nearby Dayton, the historic Biltmore Towers apartments is currently going through an extensive top-to-bottom fumigation after residents complained about bedbugs. The building owners are paying for the fumigation.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.
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