NYCHA residents across NYC protest what they say are inhumane conditions. How the housing authority is responding
NEW YORK – NYCHA residents rallied across all five boroughs Saturday, calling for improved living conditions.
Residents are saying "enough is enough."
NYCHA residents protest living conditions outside Jacob Riis Houses
Outside the Jacob Riis Houses on the Lower East Side, residents protested with a list of demands, saying they are dealing with inhumane conditions.
Linda Mitchell said she's been living there for more than 20 years, and the water in her apartment has been unclean for over three years.
"I just came from PA buying water just to wash. I live with a son. That's two people that gotta buy water to brush our teeth, wash our hair, wash our body. Are we talking about cooking? No, we're not. That's a whole other set of water that I have to pay for. I have over $8,000 in receipts from water and having to eat out 'cause I can't cook," she said.
She shared video of brown water coming from her kitchen faucet and photos of water that looked black and gray.
Other residents complained of cabinets with no doors, apartments with peeling paint and doors without handles. Some have resorted to paying for repairs themselves.
"A person shouldn't have to call 20 times to get a work order filled, and then they do it wrong the first time and they have to keep coming back," resident Eddie Rodriguez said.
They claimed some residents have faced predatory evictions, where they are forced to leave their apartments when it's time to make repairs, but then once everything is fixed, the apartment is no longer available to them.
"When they take you out, they don't bring you back in. I ain't no fool. You wanna fix, go room to room. I'll stay here," NYCHA resident Elizabeth Rodriguez said.
NYCHA released the following statement in response to the protests:
"In the past five years, NYCHA has made transformative changes while using every available tool to invest in and renovate our properties in the face of decades of federal disinvestment and mounting physical needs. Since the signing of the HUD Agreement in 2019, we have worked with rigorous oversight and robust transparency to establish our Transformation Plan, leading to marked improvements in the pillar areas, fundamental changes to management structure, and the adoption of best practices across the board. NYCHA is on better path, and we look forward to continuing this work in close partnership with the residents we serve."
But residents say change isn't happening fast enough.