A local Bronx resident says that the New York City Housing Authority has not attended to her medical needs.  

Carmen Rodriguez is a resident in Melrose Houses. She says that due to her medical conditions, she needs a handicapped-assisted apartment, but that her current residents is inconveniencing her day-to-day life, and that management has told her it’s out of their control.  

Rodriguez says her apartment was labeled as handicapped and that when she was first introduced to the space, she didn’t know what it was supposed to look like.  

She says she quickly realized the handicap designation was false – she says she’s had to store her hospital bed and wheelchair in storage because they wouldn’t even fit through the doorway. 

Now, Rodriguez is worried about her safety – she says that if a medical emergency took place, first responders would need to attend to her in the hallway. She has since been approved for a transfer, but that she’s got no idea when the home she needs will be hers.  

“Management says it could take five years, 10 years, up to 20 years,” said Rodriguez.  

Management arrived at Rodriguez’s door while she was speaking with News 12 and told News 12 that they currently don’t have any handicapped-assisted apartments available but that they want to make adjustments in her current space to make it more accommodating.