Repair wait times at NYCHA properties are on the rise, data shows. The housing authority says this is the biggest problem.
NEW YORK -- A CBS New York analysis of New York City Housing Authority data found the average wait time for repairs has gotten longer compared to last year. Investigative reporter Tim McNicholas asked the city's largest landlord why.
NYCHA repairs take nearly a year on average, data shows
According to a CBS New York analysis of NYCHA data, it takes the housing authority an average of 370 days to complete repairs, and that average is on the rise -- 370 days or higher each of the last five months, compared to 345 in March of 2023.
The agency says it gets about 168,000 repair requests per month. NYCHA says it completes more than 156,000, which may include older requests or newer requests.
NYCHA said in part there may be some duplicate orders or errors in the system, but they acknowledge that's far from the only problem and they need to improve.
Long repair times due in part to lack of staff, NYCHA says
McNicholas spoke to Daniel Greene, NYCHA's executive vice president of property management.
"Is [370 days] an acceptable number for you?" McNicholas asked.
"No, absolutely not. Our repair times are too long, and we've been working for the past couple years on ways to bring it down. Number one, the biggest limiting factor is staff," Greene said.
"Why has it gotten longer over the past year?" McNicholas asked.
"Older tickets continue to age, especially on the painting side because we just haven't had the staff to address all the painting," Greene said.
NYCHA will soon reassign more than 100 painters to help address the backlog. They're also looking into adding more carpenters.
NYCHA residents fed up with long waits: "We're not second-class citizens"
Kicha Cruz has lived at the NYCHA-owned property at 163rd Street and Eagle Avenue in the Bronx for 17 years. She describes recurring issues from plaster problems to plumbing predicaments.
"We've been complaining ... since I moved in," she said. "I try not to cry."
Cruz has been frustrated by how long her family has to wait for repairs.
"No one should have to live like this. We're not second-class citizens," she said.
Back in the fall, the private company Progressive Management took over the management of Cruz's building, and a contractor is now renovating the property under a NYCHA program called Permanent Affordability Commitment Together, or PACT.
Cruz says she hopes the repairs to her unit happen soon.
"To keep having to go through this and for my kids to suffer, or anybody's kids shouldn't suffer like this," she said.
Progressive Management says Cruz's repairs are scheduled to begin this month. In a statement, the company said:
"The health and safety of our residents in their homes is of utmost priority, which is why we take concerns about potential health risks seriously. As part of the PACT process, we have been working to deliver overdue repairs and improvements to the homes of nearly 2,000 Bronxites, including remediation of any confirmed mold. We will continue coordinating inspections and repairs with residents to ensure they can proudly call their apartments home."
NYCHA says it closely monitors all open work orders at PACT sites to ensure they are resolved quickly and to residents' satisfaction.