Do you have any legal rights if your landlord won't get rid of bedbugs?

I moved into an apartment over a year ago. We discovered our neighbors next door brought a "gift" to the units...bedbugs! I have had to throw out and re-purchase furniture, and the landlord has only sprayed once, given ME the chemicals to spray when I complained, then taken them away to spray other units. He has also lied about how often to use them (and I suspect, spraying for other pest control problems). Because I lived through a divorce and foreclosure in the last two years, most apartment complexes in Baton Rouge, LA won't lease to my family. My children and I are suffering, and feeling trapped. When I called the Section 8 program to leave this hideous situation, they said they are NOT accepting applications. I work two jobs, and am not rich. What can I do?