Lawsuit holds NYCHA's feet to the fire for shivering tenants

When hot water was finally restored to Charles Cordrey’s apartment after almost a year, he did not celebrate with a warm shower because the pipes in his bathtub then became stopped up.

“I bet that won’t be fixed,” he said in his apartment on Monday morning. 

A resident of 5210 Broadway, Mr. Cordrey, 54, has lived at the Marble Hill Houses since July 2014. He said that his apartment has had only sporadic heat and hot water since February. A former police officer who was among the first responders at  9/11, he said the extreme temperatures in his apartment last winter and during a recent cold snap worsened his asthma to the point where he was forced by his doctors into an early retirement.

“I’m not supposed to be retired right now. That’s how sick I am,” Mr. Cordrey said.

After filing two complaints with 311 and corresponding with Public Advocate Letitia James, Mr. Cordrey signed an affidavit on Dec. 8 as part of a lawsuit Ms. James has filed against the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) for its heating policy. She said she resorted to legal action after an internal NYCHA email leaked claiming that the organization’s money-saving technique was to turn off heat between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. as long as temperatures outside did not fall below 20 degrees.

“My apartment is freezing and I have no way to keep myself warm. I boil water in a tea kettle and make tea every night to try and warm up my body,” Mr. Cordrey said in his affidavit. “I walk into a cold apartment from the cold outside and do not get any relief. I have trouble feeling my fingers at night and sleep with three covers. My asthma has been severely exacerbated and I have to go to the hospital because of it. My doctor from the asthma clinic has given me letters [indicating] the further deterioration of my condition.”