“The stairs are killing me,” says Nancy, 82, as she pleads to be rehomed

A woman who struggles to get up and down the stairs in her home is pleading with her housing association to rehouse her.

Nancy Brewster, 82, has lived in her Penny Lane flat for 28 years and waited eight years for Onward Homes to move her into a ground floor flat or bungalow. Nancy has a number of health problems, including asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and was recently admitted to hospital with a heart complaint.

Nancy, who is originally from Sunderland, lives in a three-bedroom flat at the top of a two-storey building. She has been a tenant of Onward Homes (formerly Liverpool Housing Trust) for almost 50 years.

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Every time he leaves home, he has to climb 13 flights of stairs, plus another 17 to get to the back door. Nancy told the ECHO: “The stairs are killing me. I could very easily crash on them. I’m desperate about it.”

When he first moved in, the housing association tried to install a stair lift, but the idea was scrapped when fitters realized it would have obstructed access doors for other tenants in the property.

Onward Homes previously offered her alternative housing, but Nancy claims their suggestions were inappropriate. She said: “The place they offered was in an estate in the middle of nowhere. There were no shops, nothing. No doctor’s office or bus stop. I need a place where I can easily access the doctor. On an estate, I would have to walk miles to get anywhere and I can’t do it.”

Nancy lives alone with her poodle, Zuki. Her sister died last year and she says Zuki is her only companion. She is worried that if she moves into sheltered housing, she will have to give up her dog. She said: “I have no family, Zuki is all I have. I can’t live without a dog.”

Having Zuki around forces her to leave the apartment to walk the dog, but it’s a daily struggle for her to go out with her pet.

A spokesperson for Onward Homes said: “We understand that this is a difficult situation for Ms Brewster and we are actively supporting her request for another property. There is a housing shortage locally but we have been able to provide two bungalows in the area and a place in one of our local protected schemes which would meet her needs.

“Unfortunately, these property offers were not accepted. We hope that a long-term solution can be found soon and in the meantime we will see if we can offer Ms Brewster any additional support.”

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