Public housing doesn't suffer the derision that it used to, but housing agencies remain strapped. Critics and residents contend that the New York City Housing Authority, the largest landlord of them all, continues to let down the city's neediest.
Public housing is not expected to be luxurious, but it is supposed to be functional. Tell that to countless tenants of the New York City Housing Authority. Housing 400,000 residents, NYCHA is coping with aging buildings that present an overwhelming number of maintenance problems. Its backlog of repair requests once topped 300,000.
In recent years, the agency has been on a campaign to become more efficient and effective. Agency officials say that responses times are down and that it has made a significant dent in its backlog. And yet, anecdotes persist about busted pipes, rotting walls, leaky sinks, mold, and much more. Residents talk about repair tickets that the agency issued but never followed up on.
"Residents, housing attorneys, and community advocates say that across New York City’s public housing developments, they’ve continued to fight for months, even years, to get the agency to fix falling paint, moldy walls, and water leaks."
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