| Releases
& Statements
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 6, 2007
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4193; (917) 541-0936
Release #: 051-2007
Gotbaum, Bushwick Tenants Demand Improvements to NYCHA Complexes
BROOKLYN – Faulty elevator repairs stranded dozens of senior citizens outside of their Bushwick apartments until early morning hours – forcing many of them to take the stairs in the 20-story building – Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and Bushwick tenants said today. Gotbaum and tenants blasted cuts to the maintenance budget of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), saying that hazards such as broken elevators and intercoms and filthy hallways are jeopardizing the safety of many New York families living in public housing.
A rise in the cost of maintenance, along with city and state reductions to NYCHA’s operating budget, have forced major cuts to the timeliness and the quality of repairs. Next year, NYCHA faces a budget gap of approximately $225 million. That gap is either going to require further cuts to maintenance or increased fees for tenants. Gotbaum called on all levels of government to immediately invest more money in NYCHA.
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “Here’s the bottom line: we are risking the lives of New Yorkers every time we send them into a building with unsafe living conditions - whether it’s a faulty elevator or a stairwell without proper lighting. It is simply outrageous that in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, we are allowing people to live in such hazardous conditions.”
Bushwick Houses Tenant Association President Gloria Bonilla said, "It breaks my heart when I see seniors struggling to carry a walker up the stairwell because the elevator isn't working. These families aren't asking for the world; they're asking for the very basics: working elevators, clean hallways and timely repairs. We cannot turn our backs on them. We have a responsibility to make sure that they live in safe conditions."
Public Advocate Gotbaum receives hundreds of calls a year from New Yorkers living in NYCHA housing. Complaints range from leaky ceilings to unsafe repairs and unsanitary conditions. A recent news report also documented the tragic story of Lillian Milan, a Brooklyn woman who died after she was forced to walk up 10 floors when her building’s elevators went out.
NYCHA provides homes to over 400,000 New Yorkers in 343 developments. In New York City, the average family in public housing earns about $20,000 a year. The housing authority operates a total budget of $3.4 billion, with about $2.7 billion going toward building maintenance.
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