Some NYCHA residents in Queens frustrated after living without cooking gas for 5 months
NEW YORK -- A portion of a NYCHA complex in Queens has been without cooking gas for five months.
Seventy-seven-year-old Cristina Lara hasn't had cooking gas since May and is barely eating.
"Coffee and bread. Sometimes we have to go outside and spend money in eating," Lara told CBS2's Alice Gainer. "And some days, we don't eat. No, because I don't have the money to spend."
She says the hot plate she was given by NYCHA to use instead isn't great.
"We need the gas to cook a decent meal. The holidays are coming, and that upset me so much," Lara said.
She's one of the 80 units, plus a daycare center, affected at Bland Houses in Flushing.
"Imagine trying to prepare breakfast or dinner for a whole family," said Tenant Association President Bridget Marachilan. "There hasn't been that transparency or communication with us."
NYCHA claims it's been keeping residents informed of the restoration timeline. A spokesperson says the outage is "due to a leak found off the main line into the building, and a broken stack in the basement that caused sewage flooding conditions needed to be repaired before the asbestos work could commence."
Asbestos work was completed in September, and now it's "in the permitting phase of restoration prior to construction."
"They're not giving us real clear answers, and what do they plan to do to get this fixed?" Councilwoman Sandra Ung said. "They were saying there was apparently a day care center here that they need to move for things to happen, however this issue has been happening since May 1st, and this is like, we're five months in now."
NYCHA has now scheduled two meetings for Thursday with residents to discuss plans.
"I'm a little leery so what's going to happen? When's our gas going to be back on?" Marachilan said.
"We pay rent, you know," Lara said.
Restoration work will cost about $500,000. This is affecting cooking gas only, unrelated to heat or hot water.