A Bridgeport woman says she can't get the right services to meet the special needs of her 12-year-old daughter, who is severely disabled.

Luz Gonzalez says her child, who has epilepsy, is wheelchair-bound, non-verbal and developmentally disabled.

Gonzalez says her family became homeless after she lost her job at the height of the pandemic, and they ended up in a shelter for 10 months.

She says she finally found an apartment on Stratford Avenue, but it's not handicapped-accessible, which makes it tough for her to care for her daughter, Jany'rah.

"I'd be scared. I'd be scared to open up to people, to reach out, and when I do...they let me down. In other words, the state let us down a lot. And I have to keep fighting — like I said — I fight, I fight, I fight for her," Gonzalez said.

She says her dream is to get a handicapped-accessible van one day, but she's been unable to raise the money for one so far.

Gonzalez says she is forced to brush her daughter's teeth in the kitchen because the wheelchair won't fit in the bathroom. The apartment is not handicapped-accessible.

On top of that, Gonzalez says much of the special equipment she had for Jany'rah was destroyed last year by storm damage.

"I don't catch a break -- I don't," Gonzalez said.

City officials say the disability housing shortage is a national problem, but new disability housing is under construction right now in Bridgeport.