Local pols demand funding and fixes for NYC public housing
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Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal questioned NYCHA Chair Greg Russ about improvements at the Pomonok Houses.
By Victoria Merlino and David Brand
As budget season heats up in Albany and in the corridors of City Hall, local lawmakers are advocating for additional funding to fix and maintain New York City’s beleaguered public housing system — including several campuses in Queens
Speaker Corey Johnson and a coalition of tenants rights advocates’ took to the steps of City Hall Monday to call on the state to allocate more money for NYCHA after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget failed to include new funding for the city’s beleaguered public housing campuses. The Eagle was the first to report on the lack of NYCHA funding in Cuomo’s budget last month.
“Our city is in the midst of a housing crisis, and we need the State to do its part. Our public housing system is crumbling and desperately needs more funding,” Johnson said. “We cannot solve these problems on our own, but without proper funding and investments that's exactly what the state is telling New Yorkers.”
Johnson and advocates from the Housing Justice Coalition demand $3 billion to fund public housing in New York, including $2 billion to address NYCHA capital needs, including broken boilers.
In Queens and across the city, residents of NYCHA buildings contend with toxic lead paint, heat and hot water outages, mold blooms and pest infestations.
Residents of the Pomonok Houses in Fresh Meadows have been particularly impacted by infrastructure issues. The 35-building development has among the highest number of units housing children under 6 years old — the people most at risk for health problems lead paint exposure. The site also accounted for more mildew complaints than all but nine NYCHA campuses in the city last year, according to data obtained and compiled by the Legal Aid Society.
Queens Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal took NYCHA Chair Gregory Russ to the Pomonok Houses on Jan. 30, to assess the property, meet with tenants and discuss the severe problems at the 35-building complex.
“The living conditions faced by my constituents at Pomonok are absolutely unacceptable,” Rosenthal said. “I would like to thank new NYCHA Chair Gregory Russ for an honest, but frank conversation that was necessary in order to look forward, collectively, and work together to improve the lives of residents.”
Residents raised sanitary concerns after more than half of the development’s trash compactors broke at the same time. They also discussed inoperable intercoms, broken locks on entryways and malfunctioning exterior lights presented safety issues throughout the building.
NYCHA agreed to return within eight weeks with an action plan to address the issues raised during the walkthrough with Russ.
"Productive politics encompass open and honest dialogue followed by accountability, and that was our achievement today," said Pomonok Residents Association President Tamika Williams.
“Together we can restore Pomonok Houses to its original state as ‘the jewel’ it once was,” she added.
