Local

Senior citizens at Brevard County facility forced to use restrooms outdoors

MELBOURNE, Fla. — Some senior citizens say they’re upset about the living conditions during a major renovation at Trinity Towers East in Brevard County.

The residents told Channel 9's Field Sutton that they've been forced to live without indoor restrooms on and off for months when the water is turned off. They said they have to use a porta-potty in the parking lot.

Eyewitness News has reported about Trinity Towers East on Strawbridge Avenue in Melbourne before, when its air conditioning went out during the summer.

"We have to come down here, get a key at the desk to use the porta-potty,” said resident Pat Conte.

Conte, 80, has leukemia and said a trip down the stairs isn't feasible.

"Well it's not convenient for me because I'm on chemo and I have bathroom problems,” Conte said.

The building is nearly 50 years old and was bought four years ago by the nonprofit organization Preservation of Affordable Housing.

"This is the building that we take care of for them. This is their home. And we're just trying to make their home the best possible home it can be,” said J.P. Hervis, with Preservation of Affordable Housing.

Hervis told Eyewitness News via FaceTime that Trinity’s previous owners had done almost nothing in the way of improvements for decades.

He said the notice of water shut-offs started a week ago and the company tried to implement other bathroom solutions.

The original plan, Hervis said, was for the building to be divided into sections. Each section would have its water off on a given day while the rest of the sections retained running water.

Hervis said building management tried to set up a “buddy system” in which residents in the areas without water service could visit neighboring apartments to use the restroom between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on any given day. He said restrooms in common areas on the first floor were supposed to be available at all times.

Some residents said the buddy system proposed by management was impractical for use nine hours a day. They added that occasional water outages affecting the entire building rendered those plans moot, an allegation Hervis denied.

Others felt management had gone out of its way to smooth the transition.

"As far as I'm concerned, they're doing the best they can. The building is very old. The plumbing was disintegrating,” said Patricia Donahoe.

Conte told Eyewitness News that she eventually got an in-room portable toilet, but said the way things were handled was disrespectful.