A deal has been struck between the city and the federal government that will not only force the city to pay $2 billion for needed repairs but also basically relinquish control to the federal government for a decade who will oversee the work.
Sadly, this is but a drop in the bucket to truly address the deplorable conditions at NYCHA which needs $25 billion to address all necessary repairs.
That number is a stark increase from the $6 billion needed back in 2005.
Councilman Ritchie Torres of The Bronx came out hard against the Mayor and the agreement saying in a statement:
“The findings of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District exposes systemic falsehood and failure at the highest levels of the de Blasio Administration and the New York City Housing Authority. The more than half a million New Yorkers who call NYCHA home were systematically misled by the very government entrusted with their health and safety.
The consent decree is the culmination of decades of federal disinvestment and local mismanagement. But just as troubling as the lack of money and management is the lack of truth and transparency–until now.
Today is a dark moment for public trust in government. Never in the history of New York has the City been subject to a consent decree that imposes both a federal monitor and a multi-billion dollar payment, one that surrenders both local control and local dollars to federal power. The mismanagement of NYCHA, as well as the attempt by the de Blasio Administration to mislead the public about the full nature and extent of that mismanagement, will be remembered as a blight on the legacy of our current Mayor and those who came before him.
New Yorkers have every right to feel betrayed by a government that not only lied to them but also put their health and safety at risk. As a product of public housing, I surely do.”
And yes, we were lied to by disgraced ex-NYCHA chair Shola Olatoye who LIED to the feds about laid paint inspections that were never conducted leaving thousands vulnerable in our city’s crumbling public housing projects.
Now we pay the price by having a federal monitor watch over repairs at NYCHA for the next decade under an administration that clearly has shown they do not care for the most vulnerable.
The New York Times writes: “The federal government on Monday delivered a withering rebuke of New York City’s housing authority, accusing officials of systematic misconduct and indifference in the management of the city’s vast stock of public housing. The failures endangered tenants and workers for years and potentially left more children than previously known poisoned by lead paint in their apartments.”
How are we to trust them when they are out to defund public housing across the country?
Follow the full coverage in the linkage below:
- NYCHA to receive $2B to address health and safety issues – Curbed
-
New York City Housing Authority, Accused of Endangering Residents, Agrees to Oversight – NYTimes
- City settles for more than $2B over horrendous NYCHA living conditions – NY Post
