Asbestos, mold, and rodents force residents out of Northwest Indiana apartment building

By: Noah Dolan

HOBART, Ind. (July 19, 2022) – Health and safety concerns have displaced dozens of residents of a northwest Indiana apartment building.

The Hobart Fire Department closed the building due to potentially severe health and safety issues in the building such as asbestos, black mold, mild flooding, sewage backup, rodents, and many other living code violations. A boarded-up door blocked a basement fire escape, causing additional concern.

With the apartment being closed for an indefinite period, residents have been forced to find alternative places to live, including nearby hotels. But with no definitive return date, many of the low income housing residents are unsure where they will stay until it is deemed safe to return to the building.

“Just being in here, you are breathing it. You can feel this air is thick. I went home and threw up yesterday because they had the basement door open all day, that is what they had containing it, and on top of that they had someone living downstairs,” a resident of the building told NBC Chicago of the living conditions.

Many residents have previously complained about the state of the building but cannot afford to move out. The building’s conditions flew under official’s radar until they were called to perform a welfare check on one of the residents. When they arrived, they discovered that the building was uninhabitable.

The possibility of asbestos in the building is of particular concern to health officials due to its well-documented adverse health effects such as causing lung infection and lung cancer. A high prevalence of mold is also worrisome as it can lead to extreme allergic reactions, fatigue, headaches, and nausea when people are exposed to it for an extended period.

The building’s landlord will meet with city officials later this week to determine next steps.