An elderly woman living in a public housing building contacted the Office of the Ombudsman and complained that the light on the stairway in her building turned off automatically shortly after it was switched on; she was consequently unable to climb all the stairs to her apartment in safety.
The complainant added that she had contacted Amigour, Management of Assets Ltd. (Jewish Agency Housing Projects), which had referred her to the Electric Corporation. However, the Electric Corporation had, as expected, answered that the matter was not its concern.
The Office's investigation disclosed that the building in which the complainant lived was occupied by 15 older persons, of whom nine were Holocaust survivors. These older persons also had difficulty reaching their apartments in the short time that the light on the stairway stayed on.
Following the intervention of the Office, Amigour extended the time that the light on the stairway remained on until it was switched off by the automatic lights-off mechanism, so as to enable the elderly residents to reach their apartments in safety. It also took a welcome initiative and renovated the stairway, for the benefit of the buildings' residents.
The complainant thanked the Office warmly and pointed out that this small change had made a significant difference to her life and to the lives of the other residents.