BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo nonprofit's service outage has forced it to spend thousands of dollars to keep residents safe at a senior housing building on the city's East Side.
Matt Urban Human Services says the building's fire panel has been out of service for weeks. Executive Director Ryan Undercoffer said the nonprofit first became aware of the issue in late February.
"To staff the building 24 hours a day, to have people doing rounds and make sure everyone is safe and make sure there are no emergencies to date has cost us about $14,000," Undercoffer said.
The organization says those costs could rise to about $22,000 by March 27 if the issue is not resolved. Undercoffer said that money could go toward programs and services for clients.
"That's like a year's worth of rent, or the amount of food and clothing, and just staffing for case management to provide," Undercoffer said. "It's not fun to think about when you're having to expend it on something out of your control.
WATCH: Nonprofit says Verizon outage forcing costly fire watch at Buffalo senior housing building
Undercoffer said he believes Verizon is responsible, though the company says it is still determining whether the building's fire panel is connected to its equipment.
"It would be nice to have a little clearer understanding," Undercoffer said.
After I reached out, a Verizon spokesperson said the company plans on bringing a temporary solution to the building on Wednesday while working to determine who owns and operates the fire lines.
In an earlier statement, Verizon said a third-party water main break in late February caused damage to nearby equipment, requiring extensive repairs.
The company said it offered Verizon Voice Connect, a wireless solution that allows landline phones to operate over its network, to residents to maintain phone service.
Verizon said it is also working to install a temporary wireless connection while repairs to its infrastructure are completed. Until the system is restored, Matt Urban Human Services says the building will continue to operate with a 24-hour fire watch in place.
