Bedbugs, mold, problems persist at Karl King Tower
SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- Kerry Newhouse has been living at the Karl King Tower in South Bend for about three years.
The 61-year-old is disabled from a car accident in his childhood. He says there are issues at Karl King that continue to go unaddressed.
"Disappointments going through here every day," he said.
Friday, ABC57's Annie Kate visited his unit to see the living conditions for herself. There, she saw bedbugs and what appeared to be black mold on his bathroom ceiling.
Black Mold on Bathroom Ceiling
He pays his rent every month. He expects things to get fixed," said Jennifer Cleary, his concerned caregiver. "Especially that bathroom, that is my most concern."
It's not an uncommon narrative at Karl King, says Rodney Gadson from the South Bend Tenants Association.
"I get floods of complaints every month about that place," Gadson said.
He's heard about issues at Karl King for years.
"Three to four years easy," he said. "Off and on. From everywhere, from a bedbug to plumbing issues, to things going wrong and going out."
For him, the issue is the elusive owner of Karl King Tower. When ABC57 looked it up, it showed the owner as an LLC based in Alanta.
"Local management tried to address some of the issues as best they could. But I believe it's ownership that's the problem," Gadson said.
Newhouse is applying to live elsewhere, but there aren't many options for the low-income and disabled, a story Gadson hears far too often. He says it comes down to policy, as he advocates for stronger tenants' rights in Indiana.
"It starts with the law," Gadson said. "If you can't get laws to protect the people, then it's lost."