HARLEM (WABC) — Several residents in a NYCHA apartment building in Harlem say they haven’t had heat since Thanksgiving.
“It’s horrible. You go outside and it’s already cold, and you got to come back in the cold. I don’t even want to come here. I don’t even want to come home,” resident Octavia Robinson said.
In order for their home to be somewhat warm, they need a space heater and Ahmed, her son, wears a hat as if he were outdoors.
“It’s like you’re taking a shower and then going outside wet. You can get sick like that. Who is going to pay for our sick bills?” Robinson said.
Robinson and her son are not alone; many of their neighbors in roughly 14 apartments say they have not had heat since Thanksgiving.
Antonia has cerebral palsy and life can be uncomfortable as is without a cold apartment.
“It’s me and my dog up there and it’s not fair to us. It’s not fair. I literally go out in the hallway and sleep in the hallway because the hallway is much warmer than being in your own apartment and it’s crazy,” Antonio said.
Residents say maintenance workers are constantly running back and forth trying to get the boiler room cleaned up. They say it’s constantly flooded.
Residents also said maintenance explained the flood because the pipes have leaks in them.
Residents say they’ve filed numerous tickets with NYCHA. Some say they get either no heat at all or too much.
“I get heat all year round. Summer, winter, fall. Whatever, all year round,” Veronica Thomas said.
With no heat on the coldest days, it’s about more than just comfort.
“And that’s my fear. When we get to those teens and it’s negative 8. I’m like are we still going to be out without heat? This is dangerous,” Robinson said.
NYCHA released a statement to Eyewitness News saying, “NYCHA heating technicians are on site to investigate resident concerns at Lincoln, but there is not currently a heat outage reported. Residents in need of assistance are encouraged to call the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 or submit work tickets through the MyNYCHA application.”
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