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Rodent Infestation Forces Tenants Out Of McKees Rocks Apartment Building

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (KDKA) -- Tenants in one McKees Rocks apartment building say they've had a rodent infestation for months.

Residents in Hays Manor say while the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh has inspected the six-unit building, no one helped them get the rodents out.

Now residents are being told to leave after receiving a letter from the health department.

The letter outlined potential "health hazards" in the building, which has holes in the wall where residents say rodents come in and out.

"This place is infested with mice, and you're not doing anything about the situation," one resident said.

The resident, a single mother, did not want to appear on camera. She has three boys aged 10, 3 and 9 months.

rodents
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

The woman kept reaching out to the Allegheny County Housing Authority, concerned for the safety of her children.

"They said mice were eating through the wall," the woman said.

The mother said after moving into the Locust Street building at the beginning of the year, she's reported the mice problem to the housing authority in February, April, June and September.

The mom of three also said her baby was bitten.

"It's a health hazard," the woman said. "And I have a kid that's autistic. I have a kid that has asthma. I have a kid that has sickle cell, and I need to get out of here."

A letter from the Allegheny County Health Department said the residence was inspected in September and had a class 3 violation, making it "a condition which represents an actual or potential health hazard or nuisance."

The letter states the "Housing and Community Environment" violations needed to be corrected by Oct. 16th, but now residents say it's too late.

"I have to move out with my kids and I don't have nowhere to go," the woman said. "I don't want to be homeless again."

KDKA reached out to the Allegheny County Health Department, and they said responded with a statement Thursday:

One of our inspectors visited Hays Manor apartment 19-B on September 19, 2019 and saw mice droppings, which were evidence of a rodent infestation. We issued a notice of violation to the Allegheny County Housing Authority, as the landlord, the next day, stating that the violations must be corrected by October 16, 2019.

We have not been back to this apartment since September 19. We did not condemn this building nor did we tell any resident to leave the premises.

We will be conducting a compliance inspection sometime after October 16.

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