SPRINGFIELD: Budzinski Demands Better Living Conditions for Residents of Sangamon Towers

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) wrote to the management of Sangamon Towers in Springfield, expressing outrage with the living conditions for residents of the building. Budzinski has received outreach from former and current residents about the unsafe and unsanitary situation at the property.  

“In these conversations, residents detailed issues with mold, bed bugs, feces and urine in public areas, unreliable elevator service, lease enforcement, security doors being left open for the unhoused to enter the buildings, harassment, arson, and unresponsive management were described to my office,” Budzinski wrote in a letter to Pacific Management President and CEO Jeffrey Richards.

Budzinski has been in contact with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about conditions at Sangamon Towers, and the two teams are working closely together in an effort to improve conditions. Thus far, HUD has been unable to take action because they have only received one official complaint. Conversations with residents suggest they were afraid management would retaliate if they spoke up, which discouraged them from filing additional complaints with HUD. 

“It was reported by other residents in the building that this resident who filed an official complaint was treated differently by building management,” Budzinski wrote. “This retaliation was alleged to have included the delayed delivery of the residents’ mail and further delay on work orders submitted to building management for their apartment unit. Due to this alleged retaliation by management, other residents were hesitant to follow suit with their own complaints.”

Budzinski is seeking guidance from HUD on how residents can be protected from retaliation while still making complaints that can be documented by HUD and building compliance partners.

“A home should be a place of comfort and safety — but the management at Sangamon Towers has failed to make that possible. My team and I will continue to work diligently to get answers and deliver relief for the residents,” Budzinski wrote.  

The full text of the letter is HERE and below: 

Mr. Jeffrey L. Richards

President / CEO

Pacific Management, Inc.

420 Thatcher Ave

River Forest, IL 60305

Mr. Richards,

I am writing today to express my concerns regarding the conditions at Sangamon Towers in Springfield, Illinois, a property managed by your company. Over the past number of months, my staff has been in conversation with former and current residents at Sangamon Towers, who reached out to my office because they felt they had nowhere left to turn to seek relief from the dire situations and living conditions they are enduring.

In these conversations, residents detailed issues with mold, bed bugs, feces and urine in public areas, unreliable elevator service, lease enforcement, security doors being left open for the unhoused to enter the buildings, harassment, arson, and unresponsive management were described to my office.

Upon hearing these concerns from residents, my office reached out to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to seek further insight into the matter. On September 12, 2025, HUD replied to our inquiry and stated that they had only received one complaint from residents at Sangamon Towers in the past 12 months. They stated that due to the low number of complaints, no action was deemed necessary by the agency, but that they would continue to monitor the property closely due to the seriousness of the issues raised.

In our follow up meeting with residents, they explained to my office that there has indeed been only one official complaint filed; however, the reason that more complaints were not filed is because of alleged retaliation by building management against the resident who did file the complaint. It was reported by other residents in the building that this resident who filed an official complaint was treated differently by building management. This retaliation was alleged to have included the delayed delivery of the residents’ mail and further delay on work orders submitted to building management for their apartment unit. Due to this alleged retaliation by management, other residents were hesitant to follow suit with their own complaints.

My team has relayed this context to HUD, and we are seeking official guidance on how residents can seek protection from retaliation by building management while still making official complaints that can be documented by HUD and building compliance partners.

Just this week, a story was published in the Illinois Times which further details the situation the residents of Sangamon Towers are struggling to deal with.

I strongly urge Pacific Management to address these issues and work with my office to ensure that residents can safely voice their concerns with the appropriate authorities without the threat of retaliation by building management. A home should be a place of comfort and safety — but the management at Sangamon Towers has failed to make that possible. My team and I will continue to work diligently to get answers and deliver relief for the residents. Everyone deserves to feel safe and comfortable where they live and I invite you to work with me to make that a reality.

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