Bridgeport residents at Harborview Towers on East Washington Avenue say they are angry over the "on-again, off-again" elevator service in their building.

Residents say on any given day, one of the buildings two elevators is bound to be out of service. They say when it comes to getting groceries or medical care, they have no choice but to take the stairs, which is difficult since many of them are seniors or disabled.

Some say the broken elevators leave them trapped in their apartments.

"The other day they were both broken. People couldn't get down. People couldn't get out of the building," one resident said.

On-again, off-again elevator service is not isolated to this one complex. News 12 Connecticut has investigated dozens of broken elevators in the city over the past decade, with officials saying one man died at a different property across town in 2019 after claiming he had not been able to get to his doctor due to a broken elevator.

Officials say elevator parts are still sparse in part due to the pandemic, but they are doing the best they can in spite of the situation to keep at least one of the elevators operating most of the time.

Bridgeport housing officials said in a statement, "The Housing Authority is aware of and proactively working to resolve the elevator issues at Harborview Towers. We, like other companies, are challenged by backlog and unavailability of parts in the supply chain. When our residents face elevator access issues we understand the gravity of the situation and the need for urgent, prompt response. We are diligently working with our elevator contractor to employ a final resolution. We appreciate the continued patience of the community as we work through these complex issues."