Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is calling for a federal investigation after an incident with a faulty elevator left a disabled veteran on the streets.
A double amputee disabled veteran slept outside South Station Wednesday night because the elevator at Ruth Barclay's apartment in the South End was out of service for 22 hours. Flynn is calling the incident "embarrassing."
Disability advocates also claim the vet was denied a voucher for a hotel room, something the Boston Housing Authority denies.
The BHA says it did authorize hotel rooms for affected residents, but callbacks to the person in question and his advocates went unanswered.
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Flynn also said the apartment complex requested that the vet call the fire department to help carry him up the stairs, but he refused, claiming it was undignified.
Still, Flynn says something has to be done about the ongoing issues with the elevator at the apartment complex.
"I really think it's up to the federal government and the state government to provide the leadership that Boston is not providing."
Meanwhile, BHA says it's working to understand why the resident did not successfully connect with available resources and adds that it's currently modernizing elevators.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.