‘GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER’
Public advocate’s office blasts NYCHA after visit to senior housing tower in Jamaica
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 25 - MARCH 31, 2022
BY BILL PARRY
As a frequent critic of NYCHA
and having referred to the agency
as the city’s “worst landlord”
three years in a row, Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams is
keeping the pressure on for improvements
at the city’s public
housing complexes.
The public advocate’s office
continued its citywide NYCHA
tour at the Conlon LIHFE Tower
in Jamaica earlier this month,
where First Deputy Public Advocate
Nick E. Smith met with elderly
tenants facing safety and security
issues and discussed the need
for urgent repairs and reforms.
The 13-story building at 92-
33 170th St. contains 215 apartments
exclusively for seniors,
and Smith toured five of the
residences.
“We wanted to come here
today because this is a senior
development and of any of the
population of our city, we must
make sure we do the best for our
seniors in our city,” Smith said.
“What we saw today was frankly
unacceptable. We saw flooding
issues, cracks in the ceilings,
low water pressure, leaky pipes,
black mold, mice holes. These
conditions have existed for multiple
years.”
The development opened in
1971. After his tour, Smith called
out NYCHA for its pattern of neglect
that he has seen in far too
many complexes across the city.
“There is no reason that these
repairs, which all could be done
in a matter of hours and days,
take months, weeks and years to
repair,” Smith said. “Two years
to fix flooding in a bathroom?
Two years is unacceptable. So
NYCHA, get your act together
and act like you have respect for
the 400,000 residents that you
are required to serve.”
Conlon LIHFE Tower Resident
Association President Joyce
Hutton said the building has a
big security problem that needs
to be addressed immediately.
“We have an abundance of
drug addicts, prostitution, homelessness,
squatters, you name
it,” Hutton said. “We have a lot
of piggyback, meaning when a
senior is coming through the
door, someone from the outside
walks in with them. We’re living
First Deputy Public Advocate Nick Smith speaks after touring the Conlon LIHFE Tower NYCHA development. Photos by Paul Frangipane
Water damage on the ceiling of the 14th floor of the Conlon LIHFE Tower
NYCHA development.
in fear. How long do we have
to live in fear? We need 24-hour
security in here.”
Smith said the fact-finding
missions will continue at
NYCHA complexes across the
five boroughs.
“We’re going to continue
to look at these conditions
around the city, and not just
look and have a conversation,”
Smith said. “We’re going to demand
that NYCHA fixes these
problems.”
Additional reporting by Paul
Frangipane.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by
e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.
A leaky radiator as seen in an apartment of the Conlon LIHFE Tower
NYCHA development.
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