KINGSTON, Pa. — Notices were plastered on the exterior doors at Primar Apartments, instructing people to leave their homes immediately.
Rats, mold, leaking sewage, and bedbugs were found throughout the building.
Kingston Borough Code Enforcement officers deemed the conditions unsafe for human living.
"Some of the people in here can't even walk, a lot of the people rely on this building, and at this point, everybody's trying to help homelessness, but this building just made it worse for half of the people in this place," said Romaine Schwebke, Kingston.
One resident, Mike Vorobeychik, who has lived in the apartments for nine years, was surprised about the evacuation notice because he thought the landlord had kept the building in good shape, "Whenever something was broken or went wrong, I went straight to him, and he'd take care of it, and today all of a sudden I found out that I'm homeless, I got to sleep in the car."
Residents will be permitted back into the building during daytime hours up until September 30, when the doors will stay locked until the building is deemed habitable again.
Many who live in the apartment building don't know where to stay in the meantime.
"I have no idea; I'm back in situation one, on the streets, I guess, because all the shelters are full and everything. I'm hoping Red Cross or somebody could reach out and help us," said Shaina Cravlo.
"People in this building are going to be homeless at 6 p.m. because nobody wants to help, and I feel bad for all of my friends that are standing out here; they're all going to be homeless with nowhere to go," said Angela Eastman.
Residents will be allowed back into the building to pick up any items left behind starting Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but they are prohibited from sleeping in the building for the foreseeable future.