‘I can’t get out’: West End seniors left stranded by broken elevator

Seniors living in an apartment building in Vancouver’s West End say they’ve essentially been left stranded by a broken elevator.

Many of the residents of the nine-storey Gordon Fahrni House have mobility challenges, and some say they’ve essentially been confined to their units.

“I can’t get out to the bank to get money, I can’t go down to the laundry, I can’t go down to get mail,” 88-year-old Florence Rogers told Global News.

“My walker is too heavy to try and get it down the stairs.”

The elevator broke down on June 22. Ten days later, residents say they’ve now been told it will be another two-to-four weeks for it to be repaired.

Rogers said she’s been relying on a neighbour to get groceries for her, but that she’s uncomfortable doing so long-term.

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Linda Sweeney, 73, said she’s been doing what she can to help others in the building.

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“I have been taking out the garbage for everyone on my floor because I can, I’ve been helping out as much as I can,” she said.

“There have been 2 ambulances come and taken people out of here, and they had to walk up, the ambulance people, and walk the people down.”

The 55-year-old seniors’ housing apartment is operated by non-profit housing society Brightside.

The society told Global News it had emergency maintenance technicians come in when the elevator broke and paid a premium to expedite repairs.

But it said the holdup is now for a replacement part to arrive. In the meantime, the society said it is doing what it can to try and reduce the impact.

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“Initial measures will include assistance with garbage removal and placing chairs in the stairwells for residents to rest on the landings,” spokesperson Liam Griffin said in an email.

“Looking ahead to any potential warm temperatures, we will implement a cooling centre in the building if needed and can provide information to residents about where to access other cooling centres in the community.”

But residents say they don’t understand why the building operator hasn’t been more proactive about maintaining the elevator or stocking spare parts.

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Sweeny said the lift has broken down several times annually in recent years.

Rodgers said one of those breakdowns left her stuck in the elevator for an hour and a half.

“The stress is just terrible, really terrible,” Rodgers said. “They should be looking ahead and making sure they are looking after these things.”