Denver Senior Living Facility Infested With Bedbugs for a Year, Resident Claims

A 71-year-old Denver woman spent the holidays alone this year. Though her children live nearby, she fears that if they visit, they’ll get caught up in the hellish bedbug infestation that’s plagued her home for nearly a year.

Bedbugs have inhabited her Francis Heights apartment at 2626 Osceola Street for the last ten months, she says. Despite regular pest control treatments and frequent complaints to management of the senior living community, the pests have spread to nearly every corner of her unit and show no signs of slowing down, claims the woman, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

Her daughters, Linda Dow and Jenn MacKinnon, say the situation has pushed their mother to “rock bottom,” describing her as lonely and depressed. When Dow dropped off gifts outside the building after Christmas, her mother wanted a hug. But Dow was afraid to touch her.

“She had a bedbug crawling out from her shirt,” Dow recalls. “They’re everywhere.”

Francis Heights is owned and operated by Mercy Housing, a national affordable housing nonprofit. Spokesperson Kate Peterson says Mercy Housing is working to address pest-related concerns in the building and provides on-site pest control services weekly.

“We are proactively addressing concerns related to pest control at Francis Heights, conducting a comprehensive inspection of every apartment home, and providing residents with guidance on steps they can take to help prevent any issues,” Peterson says. “Mercy Housing is committed to providing quality apartment homes at Francis Heights and takes resident concerns seriously.”

Peterson did not respond to inquiries about how long the building has been infested with bedbugs or how many of the building’s 383 apartments are affected.

Various online reviews from other tenants report a bedbug infestation dating back approximately one year. One Yelp review alleges that bedbugs have been present in the building as far back as 2018.

The building “is infested with bedbugs,” a review from December 2024 reads. “[The south building] isn’t any better, in addition to mice and bedbugs, they have roaches. That’s how much Mercy Housing cares about the seniors.”

“The bedbugs are terrible,” a review from January 2026 reads. “I told them I have them back again and they did nothing, told me to treat it myself. I can’t wait to move from this hellhole.”

Dow and MacKinnon’s mother confirms that the building sends pest control to treat her apartment approximately every week. But she says it has done little to fix the issue. She claims dozens of other apartments are also infested, and that residents were instructed to buy bedbug spray to treat their homes themselves.

“If you’re not treating the entire building, you’re never going to eradicate it,” MacKinnon says. “What are the health risks of having these infestations when you have elderly folks and disabled people living there? It’s not okay. We want some kind of change, not only for her, but for everybody.”

Francis Heights receives federal rental assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s project-based Section 8 program, according to the Denver Department of Housing Stability. That means the property must meet federal minimum Housing Quality Standards to ensure the dwellings are safe, habitable and free of health hazards.

“That’s giving you the notion that it is safe, dignified housing. That promise is being broken,” MacKinnon says. “Where is the money going?”

The city is not involved in the oversight of Francis Heights, according to HOST.

“It’s handled by HUD,” says Julia Marvin, spokesperson for HOST. “We understand residents’ concerns and know HUD and property management take those issues seriously through their inspection and oversight process.”

But Francis Heights has apparently not been inspected by HUD since 2022, according to federal inspection reports. HUD did not respond to requests for comment regarding the status of Francis Heights and the date of its most recent inspection.

Dow and MacKinnon say they are working to move their mother out of Francis Heights because of the bedbugs, but are struggling to find alternative low-income housing for her. “We’ve tried to find other places that my mom can afford. It’s really hard,” Dow says.

“If she does move, she’s going to have to throw away all of her belongings because she’ll then infest another apartment and potentially the whole building,” MacKinnon adds. “So that’s another financial burden that we’re possibly facing.”

Bedbugs aren’t the only problem. Their mother alleges that she’s encountered numerous issues with the building since moving into Francis Heights in 2016, including frequent elevator outages, water shut-offs and unauthorized individuals accessing the building and sleeping in the stairwells.

Mercy Housing is “actively addressing concerns and investing in improvements to ensure a comfortable living experience” at Francis Heights, according to Peterson.

“We recently closed on new financing to make upgrades to the property, including plumbing and elevators, to enhance reliability,” she says. “A resident council is in place to help guide solutions and ensure concerns are addressed collaboratively with onsite staff. Additional security is on-site in the evenings, and staff work with residents to discourage propping doors open or allowing unauthorized individuals to enter.

“Mercy Housing is committed to fostering communities of dignity and respect,” Peterson adds. “We encourage residents to report concerns so we can address them promptly.”

Dow and MacKinnon aren’t convinced that enough is being done, though. Their mother says she has had issues with the living conditions at Francis Heights since “the very beginning.”

They want to see substantial changes to improve the well-being of all of the residents, especially those who don’t have the means to leave.

“It’s just so hard to know that my mom is living this way,” concludes MacKinnon.