EMPORIA, Va. — Residents at Trinity Woods Apartments in Emporia are struggling to stay cool as temperatures soar, with only window units providing relief in their individual apartments while common areas remain dangerously hot.
The 71-unit apartment complex, which opened in 1994 and caters to senior citizens on fixed incomes, has been without proper air conditioning in hallways, the lobby and community areas for nearly three years.
"For the last two weeks, it's been extremely hot and you know, some of the people there at 97, 98 years old. They don't need to be living like that," said Alonzo Joyner, who regularly visits friends living in the complex.
Joyner described the conditions in the community areas where residents gather during the day as particularly concerning.
"In the residents' room I went into, it's fine but in the community area, where they sit during the daytime, it has fans in them and it's hot," Joyner said.
Those fans offer little relief, according to Joyner. "Blowing hot air. Basically it's uncomfortable and it's been like that for almost 3 years," he said.
Jimmie Harris, 67, who has lived at Trinity Woods since early January, appreciates the staff but has numerous complaints about the building conditions.
"There's no ventilation in the hallways, at all," Harris said.
When asked about air conditioning in the building, Harris was direct: "There ain't no air conditioning system in it."
The only cooling comes from window units in individual apartments, but even those aren't always sufficient. Harris plans to purchase an additional unit for his apartment.
The heat has made common areas unusable for many residents. "You can't even sit there," Harris said.
Two years ago, the community rallied to help when word spread about the lack of air conditioning.
"The community gathered together and got some single units for the residents," Joyner said, noting that about three dozen window air conditioners were donated to residents who couldn't afford to purchase their own.
Frustrated by the ongoing situation, Joyner recently took to social media to raise awareness.
"I posted something on Facebook to draw public attention and I reached out to city council and a couple of those guys went out there," he said.
The management company that runs the non-profit apartment complex says they are currently obtaining quotes for a temporary, standalone air conditioning system to cool the lobby, community room and common areas.
A $5.4 million matching grant awarded last year to install a complete new heating and cooling system has been put on hold due to federal funding cuts.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
