Woeful Conditions at NYCHA Houses, Says State Report

By LUIS GONZALEZ

New York City Housing Authority complexes show “wreck through neglect,” with many residents waiting several months for repairs and some tenants developing asthma due to apartment conditions, said State Senator Jeff Klein Thursday as he released a legislative report outlining the agency’s deficiencies.

Revealing what has been a massive disconnect with residents, the report shows that NYCHA residents live with mold in their apartments, cracked ceilings and intercoms, having to wait up to five years for repairs.

NYCHA, dubbed the “city’s worst landlord” by Klein, received $100 million in state funding last year, with $41.6 million going towards security. The funding was given to The Department of Housing and Community Renewal, which consulted with NYCHA to determine which projects to tackle.

Although there have been security improvements throughout NYCHA, according to Klein, mostly everything else has been left untouched due to NYCHA’s lack of accountability.

“NYCHA has a whack-a-mole approach to mold,” said City Councilman Ritchie Torres who charged that mold affects 21 percent of NYCHA residents, according to surveys conducted with 230 NYCHA residents. Of the percentage of apartments that had mold, 22 percent had to wait more than a month for removal while 36 percent never got it removed.

According to the report, 25 percent of NYCHA residents rated the conditions of their buildings “bad/terrible.” “While the findings and statistics are alarming, they are not surprising,” added Torres. “Without state support for NYCHA, residents will continue to suffer in their apartments and buildings will deteriorate.”

“Some of our residents have lost their bathroom or kitchen ceiling because of leaks. Living room radiators have been turned off in the winter because they leak water all over the floor,” said Loretta Masterson, community leader of the Sack Wern Houses in the Bronx.

Despite the grim state of NYCHA, Senator Klein is still hopeful that change can be made with the financial proposals outlined in the report.

The report calls for additional state funding, to be matched by the city next year of $100 million with directly appointed oversight to ensure that repairs are completed in a timely fashion. A proposed NYCHA Repair Certificate Program would give private land developers incentives for investing in NYCHA repairs.

Officials of NYCHA did not dispute the findings.

“Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein is in a unique position to help win additional funding for NYCHA in the State Budget,” said NYCHA spokesman Issac McGinn. “We look forward to standing with him at his next press conference announcing the number of repairs completed with funds he helped secure.”