Acres Homes senior living residents frustrated after elevator stopped working for weeks

HOUSTON - Senior citizens living at a northwest Houston apartment complex say they have been struggling for weeks after the building’s elevator stopped working, making it difficult for some residents to get in and out of their homes.

Acres Homes: Broken senior living elevator

What we know:

Residents at the Chelsea Senior Community in the Acres Homes neighborhood say the elevator has been out of service for nearly four weeks. Many of the seniors who live in the multi-story complex say the outage has disrupted their daily lives, especially for those with mobility issues who rely on the elevator to access their apartments.

The complex is located near West Little York Road and T.C. Jester Boulevard. Residents say some have been forced to use the stairs or rely on help from others, while others say they have felt stuck inside their apartments.

‘Stop putting a band-aid on it’

What they're saying:

Residents share their concerns with FOX 26. One resident says she has to help her sister who has trouble walking up and down the stairs. 

"Every time she has to go to the doctor, or we have to go get groceries, I have to take this heavy thing down this walker because she can do that. And then when we come back from the grocery store, we have to take all the groceries up, for her and mine, up to the third [floor]," said Georgetta Monroe. "The company needs to get a brand-new elevator and the company needs to stop putting a band-aid on it." 

FOX 26 was present when Houston Fire officials helped carry a resident down the stairs from her apartment. The resident's daughter said it's disheartening for her to see her mother, who is a quadruple amputee, living in these conditions. 

She said it's quite simple: "Fix the elevator." 

State rep. involved

The situation has now drawn the attention of a state lawmaker. 

State Representative for District 139 Charlene Ward Johnson, who has become involved, said concerns have been raised about the impact the prolonged outage is having on elderly residents.

" This afternoon, Rep. Charlene Ward Johnson hosted a press conference with concerned residents and community members to discuss how the Chelsea Senior Community (CSC) is failing to ensure its building elevators are working properly—further jeopardizing the safety of its elderly residents. 

"Earlier this month, my office received distressing calls from constituents living at the Chelsea Senior Community, alleging that two of the building’s elevators had been out of order for the past two weeks. My office contacted the senior living community immediately after learning about this issue and was informed by the building’s management that both elevators were missing a pulley and were going to be inspected as soon as possible. 

 My constituents were forced to go another two weeks without working elevators before a technician from Schindler U.S., the company that oversees the elevators, arrived to fix the elevators. However, during this consultation, the Schindler U.S. technician informed CSC’s management that there were more issues with the elevators that needed to be fixed at a later time. 

 These underlying issues with the elevators have continued to go unfixed, leaving residents with mobility issues hostage in their own homes. As a result, residents have turned to local fire fighters to help them escape their living quarters. This situation has traumatized the CSC community and has disrupted holiday plans for many. 

 I am deeply concerned by how the Chelsea Senior Community has handled this situation and treated its elderly residents. Earlier this year, I addressed this issue during the 89th Texas Legislative session and filed my elevator safety bill, HB 3337, which would have required semiannual inspections of elevators and escalators in senior living and care facilities. Though the bill was stalled in the House of Representatives, I plan to refile this historic legislation next session and will continue to advocate for my elderly constituents." 

Management responds

The other side:

FOX 26 reached out to the property management company, Capstone, which oversees the complex. The property manager said the following:

The outage occurred after the elevator doors were struck by a motorized mobility scooter, causing the doors to come off their rail and rendering the elevator unsafe for operation. While the elevator has experienced service interruptions in the past, we have consistently taken prompt action and kept residents informed. Since this incident, our certified elevator contractor, Schindler Elevator, has been consistently responding and performing required repairs. Schindler Elevator is currently ordering and reviewing all parts necessary to complete the repair, and the repair timeline is dependent on Schindler Elevator’s process and availability.

Elevator systems are subject to strict safety regulations and cannot be returned to service until all components are fully repaired, tested, and confirmed to be compliant with applicable codes.

As we have done during other significant events such as Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Beryl, and severe freeze events, residents who require assistance navigating stairs during the elevator outage are advised to contact family members or they are instructed to contact the Houston Fire Department for additional assistance.

We continue to work closely with Schindler Elevator to restore service as quickly and responsibly as possible and have kept residents updated throughout the process. Schindler has assured us that they will continue to work on our elevator through the holiday if necessary. 

FOX 26 also heard from Schindler Elevator, the company responsible for the repairs. The company says it is working with building management to restore service as quickly and safely as possible and expects repairs to be completed soon.

"We understand how critical this equipment is to the communities that rely on it. We are working closely with building management to restore service as quickly and safely as possible, and expect to have repairs complete as soon as tomorrow, December 24."

What's next:

FOX 26 will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.