RESIDENTS AT CLAREMONT HOUSES SUBJECTED TO FREEZING TEMPERATURES DUE TO A FAILING HEATING SYSTEM FOR SECOND YEAR IN ROW

State Senator Gustavo Rivera Calls On New York City Housing Authority To Implement Immediate and Long Term Solutions To Unreliable Heating System at Claremont Houses; Will Partner with Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center to Take Legal Action on Behalf of Tenants

   On Thursday, January 14, State Senator Gustavo Rivera visited the senior buildings of Claremont Houses, a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) development located at 1325 Franklin Avenue, after residents informed his office about the disruption of heat and hot water services at the building. T|R|This marks the second year that residents have been deprived of those essential services. Last February, the Senator visited the residents of Claremont Houses while they had to endure freezing temperatures when only one of the two boilers was operating.

In an effort to better understand the ongoing heating issues at Claremont Houses, State Senator Rivera has penned a letter to NYCHA's Chair, Shola Olatoye, inquiring about the immediate and long term solutions currently being explored and implemented by the Authority to both address the current heating issues and prevent the same situation from developing in the future.  

 

"It is unacceptable that the health of the residents of Claremont Houses has been continuously put at risk by the disruption of both heat and hot water services," said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. "It is my responsibility, as their representative, to hold NYCHA accountable. It is my hope that through this letter and our partnership with the Urban Justice Center, we will not only get clarification as to why the heating issues at the senior building of Claremont Houses have not been adequately addressed in a timely manner, but also to ensure that residents at this development have a reliable source of heat during this winter and those to come." 

 

State Senator Rivera has also partnered with the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center, a New York City non-for-profit organization, to file an "HP Action" proceeding on behalf of the residents of 1325 Franklin Avenue. An "HP Action" is a legal proceeding that all tenants have at their disposal to request that the Housing Court require landlords to make necessary repairs and provide essential services that are not being properly supplied. Senator Rivera will serve as a signatory to an affidavit to verify the accounts that he heard and witnessed from the residents of Claremont Houses on the building's conditions.

"As we approach the coldest days of this winter season, it is unconscionable that senior residents of Claremont Houses are  forced  to choose between   heating their apartment with their oven or further exacerbating chronic medical conditions because of freezing temperatures" said Kamilla Sjodin, Esq. the new Director of Anti-Eviction Services at the Urban Justice Center's Safety Net Project.

View State Senator Gustavo Rivera's full letter to NYCHA Chair, Shola Olatoye here.