News Story (New York)
Bryce Covert
ThinkProgress
March 13, 2017
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Aid Society (New York City)
DETAILS
NYCHA already has a backlog of $17 billion in needed repairs to its public housing buildings, many of which are a half-century old, including problems with mold, leaky roofs, and broken boilers. “We already have a huge crisis in New York City,” said Judith Goldiner, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society. With this cut, even less will get done. “It means…fewer people going out to repair apartments, fewer repairs to apartments.”
That of course means poor or even dangerous living conditions for residents, many of whom are transitioning out of homelessness. “That’s going to further lower the quality of life,” said Tori Lyon, CEO of the Jericho Project, an advocacy organization for homeless veterans. “Families who already have been traumatized and are vulnerable [who have] finally gotten housing that’s affordable…now are possibly faced with having poor quality.”