“Friday afternoon my office was at Jacob Riis Houses to unveil a damning report showing How the Other Half Lives in Public Housing, to condemn how infuriatingly pervasive unsafe, unlivable housing conditions have been in New York City since Jacob Riis himself revealed them in the city’s tenements over a century ago. Less than 12 hours later, that complex would become the clearest – or cloudiest – example yet of how NYCHA has failed in its obligation to provide safe, quality housing that tenants deserve, and are paying for. When we spoke to tenants on the ground, before the arsenic levels were public, they were already angry and exhausted. This news exponentially compounds that city-sanctioned suffering.
“Our report in part highlighted the hazards of constant water outages at NYCHA complexes – but the systemic failures within that agency run so deep that now, in this case, the water itself is dangerous. NYCHA’s failure to react quickly enough to reported water issues – or provide a safe alternative water supply until now, is emblematic of their patterns of inadequate preparation and response. NYCHA has long been the city’s worst landlord, and no one can truly be surprised by these revelations anymore, but they are still shocking and enraging. This is not all about funding – this is a clear indictment of longstanding and ongoing mismanagement. There are no excuses anymore.”
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