In an attempt to fix the ongoing problems the NYCHA residents have been facing for years, de Blasio unveiled a new initiative promising to repair 62,000 NYCHA apartments that have been in disarray for years.
The mayor stated that the apartments will remain permanently affordable and will be converted to Section 8 units in which the rent will be no more than 30 percent of a tenant’s income. The renovations, involving nearly $13 billion in repairs, will include replaced windows, boilers, roofs and updated bathrooms and kitchens.
These comprehensive upgrades will be made possible through public-private partnerships, including the Rental Assistance Demonstration program.
“We have an opportunity to undo decades of neglect and mismanagement, and we have to take it,” de Blasio said. “These partnerships are one of our best-proven tools to deliver critical repairs.”
The new initiative is supposed to make up for the residents’ previous misery and give them a new, comfortable living.
“This is a turning point for tens of thousands of NYCHA residents. We have an opportunity to undo decades of neglect and mismanagement, and we have to take it,” de Blasio said.
Inhumane living conditions
Earlier this year, the city entered into an agreement with the federal government to install an independent monitor and they also agreed to spend $1.2 billion on improvements.
Criticized by both members of his administration, the mayor was confronted on Monday regarding the latest NYCHA problems. For years, tenants have been living in devastating and inhumane conditions. Lack of heat, cockroaches, rats, leaks, and exposure to lead paint, are among the complaints tenants listed.
Anita Berry, a NYCHA resident, told Gothamist the flat she has been living in for the past five years has several holes in the ceiling and is riddled with rats, roaches, mildew, and mold, which she said disturbs her asthma.
“Before I even touched the keys, they had me living in inhumane living conditions,” said Berry.
Last week, Federal Judge William Pauly rejected the city’s agreement with the federal government to fix NYCHA. He listened to NYCHA residents and decided that the situation is so dire and has been for so long that the plan wasn’t good enough.
