TOLEDO, Ohio — Residents at Northgate Apartments, a senior living facility in north Toledo, are having trouble getting around. Both elevators at the complex are broken, leaving some people needing extra help to get around.
Mark Cervantez, 56, has lived at the apartment complex for about a year and said he likes it. He uses a cane and walker to get around and recently had surgery which makes it harder for him to walk up and down stairs.
"I'm a little frightened to do it myself," Cervantez said. "I might fall or something and nobody's going to be there and what if I can't dial 911?"
He has his aide and family members help him and said he's one of the fortunate ones because others may not have the help.
Wingate Companies owns Northgate Apartment and told WTOL 11 that the elevators were broken because someone set two pillows on fire on the eighth floor, causing the sprinkler system to go off which then damaged the control panel of the elevator system.
George Thomas, the CEO of the Fair Housing Center, said any complex that has an issue like a broken elevator should provide accommodations.
"If a tenant living there with disabilities makes a request to be accommodated in some way while the elevator is down, then definitely that housing provider would need to take it seriously and think about how to accommodate the person under the circumstances," Thomas said.
Wingate claims the company has been providing accommodations at Northgate, saying in a statement that its staff has been delivering medicines, packages and food to residents. Mobile Meals of Toledo is still delivering to people in the building, too.
Wingate added that Toledo fire crews are willing to help bring residents down the stairs when requested.
The company said it hopes to get one elevator working on Tuesday and the other one working on Wednesday, adding that the elevators will also need to be inspected before being put back into service.