Eric Abrams struggles up the stairs with his cane, one step at a time.

When he reaches the fifth floor, he ducks through a plastic zipper door and hobbles down the hall to his tiny, cluttered room. There is no water in his wash basin. He had been using space heaters as the weather turned cold, but recently received a new heater, as ordered by a court. The noise and dust have largely abated since a partial stop-work order took effect, though the roaches remain.