CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — An organization dedicated to aiding the homeless reported that many individuals continue to reside in a condemned Champaign apartment complex, a month after it was declared unfit for occupancy.

The 29 buildings at the Champaign Park apartments were all condemned in June, after years of neglect from an out-of-town landlord.

“Our estimate is that around 100 people are still staying here,” stated Danielle Chynoweth, who oversees Cunningham Township. “Just in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve noticed more than a dozen individuals.”

The Champaign Neighborhood Services indicated that a court had instructed the property owner to secure the premises and relocate the residents. However, this directive was not followed, resulting in complications for both the city and homeless assistance services to resolve.

“We housed about 10 people with income, we had sufficient resources for it, but that’s a drop in the bucket,” Chynoweth said.

Living there right now is illegal. The property doesn’t have power, water or air conditioning. 

Neighborhood Services said there’s no good solution to the problem.

“We don’t normally have something of this size happen,” Tim Spear, code compliance manager of Champaign Neighborhood Services, said. “Usually, it’s one or two units that are affected. It’s been a difficult one and we can’t just force people out without a court order.”

Neighborhood Services said that time could be coming soon, but the Cunningham Township supervisor said removing people creates a bigger problem.

“We know there are dozens of people living here, but if they weren’t living here I don’t know where they’d go because the shelters are full,” Chynoweth said. “We need to take care of them, not ban them from this location, because where are they going to go?”

Right now, Neighborhood Services is in active litigation with the owner of the property and cannot discuss what will happen to the complex next. Chynoweth said with a heat wave coming next week, she’s extremely concerned for the people living there with no cooling or running water.