Some Harlem residents have no heat in apartments ahead of Christmas
NEW YORK — Some neighbors in a Harlem apartment building are spending the holiday without heat in their homes.
"It's colder in my apartment than it is outside"
While the winter weather brought children outside to play in the snow Tuesday, neighbors living at 437 Manhattan Ave. were chilled to the bone in their homes. One woman on the seventh floor is one of several who said they are now sick after having to heat their apartments using their ovens with pots of water inside to prevent combustion.
"I can't get rid of this cold," the tenant complained, wearing a coat and boots. "I come in, it's colder in my apartment than it is outside. It is literally freezing in here."
The dangerous oven tactic taking place throughout the building adds heat but also chemicals like carbon monoxide, which Louise Summers, better known as Granny Sarah, said recently sent her to the hospital. Her oven was open as she baked sweet potato pies she claimed were "better than Patty" for the police precinct, an annual tradition for which she has received past recognition.
"It don't make a difference who it is," Granny said. "Stranger, everybody, no charge."
As a boost to the electric heater she uses in her bedroom, Granny is waiting for maintenance to tape plastic to the windows to cut off more cold air from coming in.
"I would have been out of here years ago, but I can't leave my grandkids until they get a place," Granny said.
One of the first to move into the building more than 20 years ago, her complaints date back to 2004.
HPD acknowledges ongoing hot water issues
New York City Housing Preservation and Development confirmed its teams have conducted several heat inspections at the building and found numerous violations, including as recently as December. An agency spokesperson also acknowledged ongoing issues with hot water and said if the agency does not take action soon, HPD's Emergency Repair Program will intervene.
HPD added in a statement, "Every person deserves to have a safe and comfortable place to call home, and it is the property manager's responsibility to follow the City's Housing Code by promptly addressing violations. We will continue addressing tenant complaints, conducting inspections, and issuing violations to ensure that all New Yorkers feel safe and secure in their own homes."
A woman who identified herself as the building manager told CBS News New York over the phone, a new boiler was installed a month and a half ago, but that led to leaks and the discovery that approximately 300 feet of pipes also needed replacement.
"HPD put a sign up, do not use this boiler until it's correct," Granny said. "They claim we got a new boiler. If we got a new boiler, why we ain't got no heat?"
The building manager said work should wrap up in time to turn the new system on by Christmas Day.
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