NYCHA residents are tired of the neglect

It’s been a couple of years, and they’re doing nothing.”

Ms. Adams, resident at Fort Independence Houses

Intended to investigate the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and its oversight of contractors, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, released a comprehensive audit of the largest public housing authority in North America. 

The Press went to the sites of two NYCHA developments to investigate the complaints – Marble Hill Houses at 5220 Broadway and Fort Independence Houses at 3340 Bailey Ave. 

Upon entry, the problems were immediately apparent – starting with the entrance. The doors were either propped open or locked shut, along with malfunctioning intercom systems, leaving anyone without keys out in the cold. 

At the Marble Hill complex, which houses 11 buildings, the front door was unlocked, allowing open access to the building.

Ramon Polanco, a resident of Marble Hill Houses, took The Press to his apartment and illustrated multiple cracks in the wall, some of which he said, resulted from April’s earthquake, which measured 4.8 on the Richter Scale.

He submitted several request tickets to NYCHA, although the repairs have yet to be completed.

“It lasts (for) years and years and they don’t fix it,” Polanco said. 

He added, whenever he calls NYCHA to make an appointment for repairs, the answering machine is always full.

The Press also visited the Fort Independence houses.

The 21-story residential building was riddled with issues, from broken intercoms to a black and brown liquid substance, which appeared to be grease, seeping out of the hallway walls and ceiling. 

“They never clean — the elevator is dirty, same thing with the staircase,” Erica said, a resident for 21 years who did not want to provide her last name.

“They [homeless people] also sleep in the staircase on the 21st floor,” Luz said, another resident who also wanted to be addressed by first name only and has lived in the building for 19 years. “When I’m leaving in the morning, my son is like, ‘Mommy, who’s that weird guy?’”

Both residents also mentioned other issues throughout the building, including ceiling and wall cracks and broken alarms that should ring when individuals access the roof, but don’t.

The roof, which yields beautiful views of Van Cortlandt Park to the north and the Manhattan skyline to the south, is frequented by several homeless individuals who use the roof to urinate, defecate and squat in the space, according to residents.  

A 73-year-old resident, who wished to be identified as Ms. Adams, allowed The Press access to her apartment on the top floor, which had a cracked, peeled and stained ceiling resulting from roof flooding and improper drainage.

She claimed she had been hit in the head by a crumbling ceiling on two separate occasions – once in her kitchen and again in her bedroom. 

“When it rains, [the ceiling] gets cracked,” Adams said. 

Her bedroom had four plastic buckets and several tarps, collecting falling liquid, despite it not raining. 

She also displayed several unanswered NYCHA request tickets she had accumulated over the years.

Adams’ stove was also affected by the leaks and damages. But she’s sympathetic and helps the homeless who live in her building by providing them with clothes, blankets and a hug. She said because no one has tended to the leaks on the roof, she must frequently sweep the stormwater which accumulates after rainfall and pours through her ceiling.

“It’s been a couple of years, and they’re doing nothing,” Adams said. “I have to keep moving [my belongings.]”

On Friday, Dec. 13, when The Press visited these sites, one elevator in the Fort Independence Houses was stuck on the ninth floor, which according to residents, is a common occurrence.

Marble Hill Houses, built in 1952, is a 16-acre development consisting of nearly 1700 apartment units.

In December 2023, NYCHA announced the Marble Hill Houses was one of 23 NYCHA apartment building complexes to receive safety upgrades as part of a $24.1 million plan. This would include more than 1,400 security cameras, enhanced exterior lighting and entrance renovations.

Following the customer satisfaction surveys, the audit found nearly $37 million in potentially misused funds for NYCHA repair contracts. Out of 795 total surveys submitted by NYCHA residents citywide, 11% were contributed by Bronx residents.

The audit also reported nearly 46% of all orders for NYCHA contracting jobs lacked evidence the work was performed or completed. Additionally, records related to work requests and completion were found to be disorganized and often, incomplete.

“NYCHA spends hundreds of millions of dollars on repair vendors every year but is failing to make sure those contractors actually do the work we’re paying them for,” Lander said in a press release following the announcement of the audit.

Lander’s recommendation is to allow residents to rate the vendors who perform work in their unit through platforms such as Yelp and to create vendor scorecards based on tenant feedback to hold contractors accountable.

NYCHA responded to The Press’s inquiry of when they plan on addressing the countless issues at any of their properties.

“NYCHA has already implemented or is currently implementing many of the recommendations made in this report,” a NYCHA spokesperson said. “While we do not agree with some of the audit’s analysis and findings, and take issue with its numerous unsubstantiated claims, we appreciate Comptroller Lander’s commitment to improving NYCHA and quality of life for public housing residents."

The NYCHA spokesperson added, in the face of mounting physical needs and decades of federal disinvestment, the housing authority continues to employ all available strategies to bring their developments the funding they desperately need and directly improve the lives of residents. In their statement, they referenced the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together and the Public Housing Preservation Trust and the Comprehensive Modernization programs, as methods to improve residents’ quality of life.

Out of all the residents who responded via survey, nearly 50% have lived in a NYCHA building for over 20 years, and 70% for over 10 years.

Lander’s audit brings to light the deplorable conditions that NYCHA residents currently live under and have lived under for years.