Idanha residents protest malfunctioning elevator

BOISE, Idaho (CBS 2) — Some disabled residents of the Idanha Apartments and their supporters held signs at 10th and Main Streets Wednesday saying they are effectively being imprisoned in their apartments because the elevator fails to work.

"I went to go do my laundry the other day, and fell down the steps," said Idanha resident Susan Bosworth, who lives with a service dog and has to go outside frequently. "My neighbor found me in the stairwell."

"Parklane Management and the owner Ken Howell refuse to fix the elevator with any certainty," said Ahniah Selene, who uses a wheelchair. "It's going down all the time. Two years ago I was trapped upstairs for thirteen days.

But Selene says the management company is paying for him to stay in a hotel right now.

Nobody at Parklane Management Company would talk to me about the situation when I dropped by their offices.

Anthony Yenason with Intermountain Fair Housing Council says the situation violates federal law.

"Based on the federal Fair Housing Act, everybody deserves equal access," Yenason said. "The elevator being down is Parklane's resposibility, and as they're the ones collecting rent, it's their responsibility to fix it."