Residents at a 55 and older apartment complex in St. Paul are raising concerns after dealing with nonworking elevators in their building all weekend.

The Fair Housing Act has provisions that allow a landlord to address elevator repairs, but the owner is required to look into other accommodations so those with disabilities can access the building.

At the Graham Place Senior Apartments, Jack Dobier says tenants did not have an elevator all Memorial Day weekend.

“It’s been totally out since Friday, early evening,” Dobier said. “Most of us are into our 70s. We have all kinds of people that are confined in wheelchairs. We have people that can’t go up and down stairs.”

He said the first one shut down about four to six weeks ago and the second stopped working last Friday.

Dobier is a former manager of the complex.

He said that when the last elevator stopped working, the complex put up a notice telling tenants to call the fire department if there were any issues.

He said neighbors as old as 90 years old were stuck upstairs for days.

“Can’t get upstairs if they go downstairs and to get to our vehicles and stuff, it’s five flights down, five flights up,” Dobier said.

On Saturday, the Stonebridge Company property manager sent out an email to tenants acknowledging that the elevators were not working. The manager went on to say there would be repairs on Tuesday.

Management suggested using the stairs or calling the fire department if there’s an emergency.

“I hate to say it, but it makes me feel vulnerable, but I’ve grown used to going and having stuff like this happen,” Dobier said.

The tenant said, according to an email, one of the elevators should be working by the end of Tuesday, and the other one should be back up and running by the end of this week.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS went into the leasing office to try and get answers.

Doug Rock, property management, later called 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and denied that one of the elevators was down for four to six weeks. When we asked how long, he said he would check his records.

We asked Rock what was done to accommodate those with disabilities while the elevators were down. He claims the Fair Housing Act would not allow him to move someone from the fourth floor to the first floor because they’re in a wheelchair.

According to the Minnesota Council on Disability’s “Elevator Shut Down Guide,” the Minnesota Human Rights Act requires reasonable modification or accommodations under circumstances similar to this one: Subdivision 1. Reasonable modification/accommodations. For purposes of section 363A.09, discrimination includes: (2) a refusal to make reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices, or services, when accommodations may be necessary to afford a disabled person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.