Bobby Simon spoke exclusively to KHOU 11 News and said one elevator has been down for about a week and the other has not been working for roughly a year.
HOUSTON — It now takes a team effort to get former Houston Oilers player Bobby Simon home from his dialysis appointments.
The former professional football star resides at Creekbend Gardens, a senior living apartment community in southwest Houston.
While medics bringing Simon back and forth from his three weekly appointments is the norm, recently, those medics have been left with no choice but to carry Simon up three flights of stairs while he sits in a wheelchair. That is because Simon said none of the elevators in his building are working.
“They’re having to pick me up. I’m 270 pounds. And you see how small those guys are,” Simon said.
Simon told KHOU 11 News that one of the elevators has been out of service for about a week. The other, he said, has been broken for roughly a year.
“I can’t get out the room. If you can’t get out your room or have nobody tend to you,” Simon said.
Photos of Simon’s football days line the walls of his apartment. He was drafted in the eighth round of the NFL Draft from Grambling State University in 1976. Decades later, the mobility he once had on the field is a far cry from the challenges he now faces, especially without working elevators.
“I feel trapped,” Simon said.
Creekbend Gardens is operated by the Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF), a nonprofit organization, according to RHF’s website. Many residents, like Simon, qualify for rent assistance through subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
KHOU 11 reached out to both HUD and RHF, both through email and phone calls, and left messages to push for solutions for the residents of Creekbend Gardens.
“We’re just hoping to see if we can get some more information about a timeline for repairs, what’s causing the issue,” reporter Orko Manna said in a voicemail to the RHF.
Second-floor resident Edna Butler said she also wants answers to those questions. She said the broken elevators have made everyday life painful.
“It’s very difficult. I hurt going up. I hurt coming down. I also, when I go up, or come down, I got to use this, because I get out of breath,” Butler said while holding an inhaler.
On Friday, a letter from apartment management was sent to residents, stating that the elevator company is working on repairs. However, it also noted that the process will take time. Simon said that the response is not good enough for him.
“Get that elevator fixed and keep it fixed,” he said.
As of Saturday night, KHOU 11 did not receive a response from either the Retirement Housing Foundation or HUD. We will continue to push for answers and solutions. Stay with KHOU 11 for updates.