Elevators out of service and Chairman Rhea's commitment to NYCHA residents

For several months Building #9 of the Frederick Douglass Houses has experienced an elevator out of service. The sign on elevator B says repairs will be done and the “expected date” for the elevator to return to service is ASAP. The problem is that the elevator has been out of service for several months. The sign in June said ASAP. The sign in July said ASAP and the current sign for August says ASAP.

The elevator has been out of service (on and off) since the spring. What does ASAP mean to NYCHA? I do not understand how our tenant association tolerates this and more importantly I don’t understand how the tenants tolerate it.

I continue to see older people who can barely walk go up the stairs. We have tenants that are wheelchair bound. Many of them cannot leave their apartment because with only one elevator working there is no guarantee that when they return it will still work.

In the New York City Housing Authority Journal, Vol. 39, No. 7, John B. Rhea, the new Chair of the New York City Housing Authority states that “the best years for public housing are still ahead.”

Mr. Rhea claims that he asked NYCHA employees to fill out anonymous and confidential questionnaires “to help get a better sense of what the real underlying issues are at the Housing Authority.” http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/downloads/pdf/j09jule.pdf


Mr. Rhea the problem is two fold. Many tenants do not care. And the ones that care soon lose interest when they are faced with the road blocks NYCHA puts on its tenants. NYCHA will not repair plastering if the apartment is not up for painting which is every 4 years. The painting list is several years long in some complexes. So if you are a tenant that wants to take care of your apartment and ask NYCHA to make plaster repairs to your walls and/or ceilings NYCHA refuses.

This is the cause of why so many apartments are falling apart. Mr. Rhea, I hope you have more than a vision for NYCHA. NYCHA needs a person who can produce results.