Injured and disabled tenants complain of no elevator access for months

The property at 1128 Washington Ave. is owned by Lutheran Social Services of New York, which houses people with mental illness or history of substance abuse, as well as low-income families and disabled seniors.

News 12 Staff

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Dec 29, 2022, 12:12 AM

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Updated 728 days ago

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Tenants at a Morrisania apartment building have not been able to use their elevator in months, leaving some disabled residents and those with leg injuries struggling to bring themselves to their own homes.

Kenneth Fisher has lived at St. John’s House One for six years on the fourth floor. He and other tenants are up in arms as their elevator has been out of service for over two months.

“The elevator has been breaking down ever since I moved in here,” said Fisher. “They come fix it, breaks down two months later. They come and fix it, it breaks down two weeks later.”

The property at 1128 Washington Ave. is owned by Lutheran Social Services of New York, which houses people with mental illness or history of substance abuse, as well as low-income families and disabled seniors.

Tenants say that they have complained directly to the building director about these issues.

The Department of Buildings inspector arrived days ago and issued a violation to the landlord – ordering repairs be made. Tenants are tired of this inconvenience and want the fix as soon as possible.

“I know it’s going to take time, but just come around and tell us what it entails and how long it might be,” said resident Lafon Nicholas. “Don’t ignore us and throw us aside like we’re nobody.”

The building director did not allow News 12 inside the building to view the damages. News 12 has reached out to the property owner for a statement and is waiting to hear back.

The Department of Buildings says they will visit the building again on Thursday to check the status of the repairs.