Residents of a senior apartment building in Northeast Philadelphia say their heat hasn’t worked in weeks.
Longtime residents Catherine Coyle and Bernice Sanford said many apartments and common areas inside FOP Senior Citizens in Somerton have been without fully functioning heat since at least late December. Temperatures have been frigid during that time.
Sanford has lived there for 13 years and said this is the first time something like this has happened.
“I went to bed — pajamas, housecoat, slippers, an extra blanket — at 8 o’clock at night. It was so cold in my apartment, I couldn’t even walk on the floors,” Sanford said.
Sanford showed CBS News Philadelphia her apartment, which felt warm Monday afternoon. She said that’s thanks to a new space heater she keeps running around the clock.
She also showed the dial on the wall that residents can use to adjust the temperature in the room. Sanford and others have it turned all the way up to 5, which they say they’ve never done in the past.
Another resident, Donnamarie Plunkett, said she’s been wearing a winter hat inside, recently bought fleece-lined leggings and wears a “woobie” when she ventures into common areas. The “woobie” was a blanket-like shawl she wraps around her shoulders.
Donnamarie Plunkett shows her “woobie” and wears a hat inside the apartment building.
CBS News Philadelphia
Plunkett is also using a space heater and electric fireplace to keep warm in her unit.
A spokesperson for Pennrose, the owner of the facility, said that since being notified about the heating issues, a team has checked each unit and identified several issues that are now in the process of being resolved, including re-insulating windows and inspecting the boiler system.
A statement said in part, “We understand the concern of our residents and are working to remediate any outstanding issues as quickly as possible.”
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