An elected official says a Bridgeport veteran and his wife are in need of housing with handicapped-accessibility.

State Sen. Herron Gaston says it's "outrageous" that Libby and William Seabrooks have to climb four flights of stairs to get to their apartment.

Gaston says the Seabrooks need an apartment on the ground floor, or one with elevator access, but there's a severe shortage of handicapped-accessible apartments.

Gaston says the husband is a proud U.S. Navy veteran who served during wartime. He says William Seabrooks should not be forced to climb stairs he would never be able to navigate in an emergency.

Libby Seabrooks says she and her husband are terrified of falling.

"I'm doing up and down, and those stairs are treacherous...there's too many of them for our age, for our age anyway, to go up and down the steps as many times as we have to," she says.

"William has served his country faithfully, especially during war time. He put his life literally on the line so that we might enjoy the freedom that we enjoy today, and yet we have failed William over and over again," Gaston says.

Gaston also says the couple has applied for senior and disability housing and has been on waiting lists in several local communities for the past three years.

He adds the housing shortage is only expected to get worse amid historic federal budget cuts.