Broken elevators leave seniors stuck in lobby at West Side Chicago Housing Authority building
Seniors, some with disabilities, are not able to use the elevators in the Chicago Housing Authority building they call home.
The Fannie Emanuel Apartments, a 181-unit high-rise for seniors, is located at 3916 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. One of the residents shared a video taken last Wednesday, showing several seniors sitting in the lobby —many in wheelchairs, and one a double amputee.
The reason they were all sitting in the lobby and not in their apartments was that neither of the elevators for the building was working.
Sam Brown said last Wednesday, he was late for eye surgery.
Brown, a stroke survivor, says he got stuck on the 18th floor.
"I can't climb stairs. I can't walk downstairs," Brown said. "My legs are useless."
Firefighters arrived to get Brown out. He was then carried on a stretcher down 18 flights of stairs.
Brown said there is no excuse for not having proper living conditions such as working elevators.
"It's a senior building," he said. "We shouldn't have to say anything."
The seniors living at Fannie Emanuel said the problem with the elevators not working has gotten worse over the past two to three years. Only one elevator working works at times, and then in some cases like last Wednesday, both are down.
The residents also complained of indifference when they mention their concerns to the property manager.
"She don't care nothing about us!" said Otis Lewis. "When she first came, she pretended that she cared about us and everything, but she don't care about these older people in here."
The seniors brought their concerns about the property manager and the elevators to Ald. Jason Ervin (28th).
"One of the parts that's needed for the elevator is 12 weeks out, so do I have to every other day wonder if somebody's going to be trapped on the 17th floor of a building? That's not necessarily fair to them, and it's not fair to the community," Ervin said. "It's been an ongoing challenge. This building had been rehabbed back, maybe five or six years ago."
Ervin said it may be time for another capital improvement at Fannie Emanuel Senior Apartments.
"Most definitely it's too soon to go through that again, but at the end of the day, we have to do it," Ervin said, "because the seniors have to have, you know, decent housing."
The Chicago Housing Authority on Wednesday issued the following statement:
"Resident safety is our highest priority. Our team has been meeting regularly with resident leadership and the private property managers at Fannie Emanuel to ensure that necessary repairs at the building are addressed in a timely manner, and we will continue to do so.
"Currently, one elevator at the building is operational. The second elevator requires more extensive repair work. The parts needed for that work have been ordered and can take up to twelve weeks to arrive. This timeline is being communicated to residents. We understand the frustration this situation is causing and are staying in continuous contact with the property manager to ensure that residents receive important safety updates in a timely manner.
"If the working elevator requires maintenance for any reason during this period, it will be treated as an emergency and technicians will be dispatched immediately. If residents need immediate support and cannot reach their property manager, they should reach out to CHA's 24/7 Emergency Services Operations Center at 312-542-8850."
