Some questions for NYCHA

Whenever a festering problem comes to light at a public housing development, the situation is often blamed on a lack of funds. Whether it is the recent inadequate garbage collection at the Marble Hill Houses or the perennial possibility of closing NYCHA community centers throughout the city, the excuse is almost always that there isn’t enough money to provide the basics.

However, when an official scares up the cash to fix a long-standing problem at one of the city’s projects and things still don’t get done, we know the issue is not just ongoing lack of funding. The problem is NYCHA itself.

Capital projects at the Ft. Independence Houses provide a case in point. Last spring, Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera allocated nearly $1 million to provide a new stove and refrigerator to every resident in the 344-unit houses, along with improvements for the site’s playground. In spite of ongoing pressure from the councilman, not a single resident has received a new stove or fridge and the playground remains in its less-than-child-friendly state. That leaves hundreds of people to cope with decades-old stoves, many of which the FDNY has shut down due to leaking gas or other problems, according to residents.

NYCHA recently told The Press it is working to “expedite the funds through our internal budget process.” This slightly Orwellian wording suggests the housing authority might be planning to maintain its inertia. But we call on NYCHA to take whatever steps are necessary to install new stoves as soon as possible. The body must act before the gas situation becomes even more of a health threat.

Mr. Cabrera’s chief of staff says the councilman has requested a meeting with NYCHA’s CEO Shola Olatoye. Here are some questions he might want to ask her.

In the first place, why have nearly 11 months gone by without any action on implementing Mr. Cabrera’s capital projects?

Is the system at NYCHA fundamentally dysfunctional, or are individuals to blame? Is it time for a housecleaning among NYCHA staff?

What can be done to improve oversight of capital projects? Bronx state Sen. Jeff Klein had the right idea in tying funding in this year’s state budget to greater accountability during the implementation process. But the devil is always in the details. How can NYCHA make sure projects will be competently implemented?

How can NYCHA incorporate residents into the oversight process? While the housing authority’s notoriously slow responses to individual tenants’ complaints suggests a culture of disrespect for the very people NYCHA is supposed to serve, the Ft. Independence and Marble Hill houses are full of people who are passionate about their communities. Let’s find a way to include their voices in the years ahead.