Brooklyn Seniors Say Broken Elevator Has Them Stranded In Apartments, Risking Injury On The Stairs

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Senior citizens in Brooklyn say nearly two months without an elevator has been causing them injury and keeping them inside of their apartments.

Bernard White was carrying donation boxes down three flights of apartment stairs because the elevator has been out of commission. That's when the 64-year-old sprained his ankle.

"Press the button, elevator comes up, brings me straight up. That's what was supposed to happen," he told CBS2's Ali Bauman.

He said the only working elevator at the St. Joseph Senior Residence in Brooklyn stopped on April 11, and he's had to take the stairs ever since.

"Walking up the stairs, it's leg breaking," he said.

White thought he was getting another chance at life when he moved off the streets and into the building four years ago.

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens runs the senior facility. Bernard said he's been calling them for weeks and getting the runaround.

"They don't say nothing. They just let us suffer and when I say to them, 'Now you'd be doing something about it if it was your residence, but this is how you treat the senior citizens," he said.

Catholic Charities would not talk on camera, but told CBS2 they are building a brand new elevator.

"When the older elevator stopped working, we notified the tenants that the new elevator would be up and running after the May 2, inspection," they said.

They said when May 2 arrived, the new elevator failed the city's inspection.

Now, tenants are paying the price.

"We can't bring any food in, we can't shop, can't do laundry, bring in clothes -- you just have to do the best you can," Lawrence Williams said.

Tenants aren't just stuck in their apartments, they say they're stuck in red tape too.

"We're stuck. We're stuck, so we need your help to bring it to whoever it's supposed to be brought to to get this problem solved," Williams said.

Catholic Charities said the elevator company was working onsite on Thursday, and they hope the ride will be up and running by next week.