Balmoral Hotel's broken elevator fixed, residents no longer stranded, after CBC investigation

Residents trapped in a single room occupancy hotel on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are able to leave their homes again, following a CBC investigation.

With the building's sole elevator out of commission, disabled residents of the notoriousBalmoralHotel hadbeen stuckintheir rooms since October 10.

After the CBC posted and broadcast a story about the problem, the elevator wasserviced and is now back in order.

• CBC INVESTIGATES |BalmoralHotel's disabled tenants trapped by broken elevator

Some of the Balmoral's residents havealso receivedfree groceries, thanks to a local fooddeliverycompany.

"I thought, you know what, I might as well do what I can and help them get their groceries," saidLeesaLetnick, owner ofSmart City Foods.

Letnicksaid sheheard about what theBalmoralresidents were going through when a customerbought foodto be delivered to the hotel.

Shedecided her company would buyabout 20 food boxesa truckload and she would deliver them to the hotel herself that very night.

Letnickalso decided thatanyonewho wants to contribute canbuy a $20 or $45 food box forBalmoralresidents a donationthe company will match until the end of the weekend.

In total, more than 50 boxes of food have been provided to residents.

Voted worse SRO in Vancouver

TheBalmoralis home to about 200 low-income tenants, who already live with cockroaches, rats and bed bugs.It has eight storeys of single room occupancy units, with approximately 23 rooms per floor.

The average rent for a 200-square-footroom is $675 a month, per person.

Many of theBalmoral'stenants are on disability pensions and confined to wheelchairs or walkers.

Just last year, theBalmoralwas voted the worst SRO hotel on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by a convention of SRO tenants.

If you have information on this or any other story we should investigate, email us at investigate@cbc.ca.