HARLEM (WABC) — Several residents in a NYCHA apartment building in Harlem say they haven’t had heat since Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Robinson and her son are not alone; many of their neighbors in roughly 14 apartments say they have not had heat since Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
Antonia has cerebral palsy and life can be uncomfortable as is without a cold apartment.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Residents say maintenance workers are constantly running back and forth trying to get the boiler room cleaned up. They say it’s constantly flooded.<\/p>\n
Residents also said maintenance explained the flood because the pipes have leaks in them.<\/p>\n
Residents say they’ve filed numerous tickets with NYCHA. Some say they get either no heat at all or too much.<\/p>\n
“I get heat all year round. Summer, winter, fall. Whatever, all year round,” Veronica Thomas said.<\/p>\n
With no heat on the coldest days, it’s about more than just comfort.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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