BY JASON COHEN
Living with multiple space heaters
in an apartment and using an
oven for heat sounds all too familiar
following the devastating fi re on Jan.
9, that claimed 17 lives in Fordham
Heights.
But sadly, this is also commonplace
at the Fort Independence
Houses, 3340 Bailey Ave., in Kingsbridge
Heights. It is there, where for
fi ve years inconsistent heat and hot
water has compromised tenants’ ability
to live. And tenants say a mobile
boiler installed two months ago when
the permanent one broke has been
faulty from the start causing them to
freeze in their homes.
The city even has two MTA buses
parked outside running for the residents
to use to get warm.
On Jan. 22, state Assemblyman
Jeffrey Dinowitz a Riverdale Democrat,
and Progressive City Councilwoman
Pierina Sanchez held a
press conference with the Fort Independence
Houses Tenant Association,
where they denounced NYCHA,
which owns the Kingsbridge Heights
building, and demanded not only the
temporary boiler be fi xed, but a new
one be installed.
Fort Independence has 344 apartments
and 750 tenants, and everyone
deserves to live with heat and dignity,
Sanchez said.
“This is not a new problem,” said
Sanchez, who was recently appointed
as chair of the Council Committee on
Housing and Buildings. “This is decades
in the making. I grew up with
no heat and hot water conditions, using
space heaters to heat our homes,
and ovens.”
According to the councilwoman,
it seems like NYCHA is just trying to
put a band-aid on the problem.
“The mobile boiler is a temporary
solution that isn’t working,” she said.
“Today, I have neighbors telling me
they have two or three space heaters
on, and they are heating their homes
with their ovens, but they’re being
told not to because it’s not safe. Now
what are they supposed to do?”
The councilwoman said lack of
heat is not only an issue at the Fort
Independence Houses, but citywide.
In fact, two NYCHA buildings in
Brooklyn and one at 1285 Washington
Ave., in Morrisania all have heat
issues. Furthermore, 14 NYCHA
buildings have elevator problems and
six have electricity problems. In total,
NYCHA owns more than 177,000
apartments within 335 housing developments
within the city.
Sanchez said NYCHA has a citywide
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 16 MJAONN.T 2H8 X-FXE–BX.X 3, ,2 2002222 BTR
MTA buses are parked outside of the Fort Independence Houses to provide heat for residents
after the building’s boiler malfunctioned. Photo | Jason Cohen
backlog of $40 billion in capital
needs and many of these issues could
be resolved if the federal Build Back
Better Act is passed by Congress.The
bill would invest $330 billion in the
nation’s housing infrastructure, including
$80 billion for public housing
investments, which would cover the
repairs needed across the NYCHA
portfolio. The bill, which was introduced
in September 2021, would provide
funding and establish programs
geared toward improving education,
labor, child care, health care, public
housing and the environment.
“This is unacceptable yet there
are leaders in Washington, D.C., that
say we don’t need investment,” she
said. “I dare you to come to the Bronx
and come here and stand in front of
my neighbors and then tell them they
don’t need investment and don’t matter.”
Dinowitz remembers when Fort Independence
was built in 1974. He said
there is no way today’s conditions
would fl y back then. People need to
live safely, and more importantly, no
one wants a repeat of Twin Parks, he
added.
“Anybody else living in this neighborhood
or beyond would expect to
get heat and hot water,” Dinowitz
said. “We don’t want them plugging in
space heaters.”
Fort Independence Tenant Association
President Barbara Lauray
said many tenants of the building use
space heaters and ovens for warmth,
against the landlord’s warnings. With
no other options, some people have
moved out, Lauray said.
“This is a situation we’ve dealt
with for years,” she said. “The bottom
line is we’re freezing here, and nothing
is being done.”
Lauray pleaded for Democrat
Mayor Eric Adams to come and meet
with the residents.
“Who in their right mind is going
to bundle up, come out in the cold
and get on a bus,” she said. “Take this
bootleg boiler and get it out of here.”
It seems NYCHA heard the cries
from the tenants and sprang to action.
“The mobile boiler at Fort Independence
Houses is currently operational
and the permanent internal
boiler restoration is anticipated
in early Spring,” said Rochel Leah
Goldblatt, a spokesman for NYCHA.
“In the interim, we have initiated a
24-hour watch to ensure the mobile
boiler is maintaining services.”
Pols denounce lack of heat
at Kingsbridge Heights apts
TRIBUNAL DE FAMILIA DEL ESTADO DE NEW YORK
CONDADO DEL BRONX
AVISO DE CONSULTA
Expediente No. NN-00343/7-21
En el asunto de
Infante Morales/Sac/Tambiz/Lopez
Un niño(s) menor de 18 años presuntamente descuidado por
Manuel Lopez
Demandado(s)
PARA: MANUEL LOPEZ
ENLACE - https://notify.nycourts.gov/meet/ag3waa
LLAMADAS- (929) 346-7209 código de llamada 226988904#
POR FAVOR LLAME O INGRESE AL ENLACE EN LA FECHA Y HORA QUE SE
INDICAN A CONTINUACIÓN.
POR FAVOR, TENGA EN CUENTA que se alega que el niño mencionado
anteriormente fue descuidado en concordancia con la Sección 1012 del Artículo 10
de la Ley del Tribunal de Familia.
POR FAVOR HAGA UNA LLAMADA VIRTUAL PARTE 17, EL 4/2/2022 a las
10am; EL 15/02/2022 a las 3pm; y EL 17/2/2022 a las 2:30 pm al TRIBUNAL DE
FAMILIA DE BRONX ubicado en 900 Sheridan Avenue, Bronx, New York, los
procedimientos se adelantarán con la investigación forense para determinar;
(X) Si el niño mencionado anteriormente está desatendido de conformidad con
el artículo 10 de la Ley del Tribunal de Familia.
(X) Ya sea que se haya encontrado que dicho niño está descuidado, será
colocado con el Comisionado de Servicios Sociales por un período que no
exceda los doce meses.
TENGA EN CUENTA que el Tribunal tiene autoridad para proceder incluso si usted
no se presenta. Dicha autoridad se encuentra en el artículo 1042 de la Ley del
Tribunal de Familia. El tribunal procederá con la INVESTIGACIÓN en la fecha
indicada anteriormente.
JENNIFER HOWELL, ESQ.
Abogada asistente especial de la Corporación para el Comisionado de la
Administración de Servicios para Niños
Fecha: 7/11/21
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