Antioch apartment residents say they're frustrated with safety concerns

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — People who live at Hickory Hollow Towers say they're desperate for help after back-to-back problems with the building's elevators.

"Our big elevator has been broken down for two weeks," resident Tyrone Sanders said.

Many of them use wheelchairs and walkers and depend on working elevators for medical needs.

"Every day, every other day, one or the other is out," resident Lawanda Pryor, said.

Sanders said he was forced to take chances to see if he could make it up and down the stairs.

"I'm stuck — stuck. Can't go nowhere. Yesterday when the elevator broke down, I was on the sixth floor when it broke. I went from the sixth floor. I actually came and got down. So I was downstairs until about 8 o'clock, and paramedics helped me go up," Sanders said,

The Nashville Fire Department tells NewsChannel 5 that in the last 48 hours, they've been called three times to Hickory Hollow Towers for multiple reasons including helping people get up and down the stairs.

"I mean even a walker. You can't take a walker down. If I live on the fifth floor that's 10 flights of stairs. There's two to each floor, so it makes it virtually impossible to get up and down from the upper floors," Pryor said.

The senior low-income housing complex is owned by Security Properties based in Seattle. According to its website, it provides cutting-edge amenities, meticulously-groomed grounds and a dedicated staff. But employees say that isn't the case.

"We just would like to know when and if our things are going to be addressed. Any kind of problems we have in the building. Our security. That back door has not locked and still does not," Pryor said.

Adding to the list of concerns: broken AC and doors that don't automatically lock when shut.

We reached out to Security Properties for comment but did not get a response to our questions.