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Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday urged the federal government to immediately release $ 1.2 billion in social housing funding that the city's housing authority would be able to draw from.
"Whatever you want to say, we all know that NYCHA needs help now. It's a moment now or never, "said the New York Democrat in front of the Alfred E. Smith houses of the Lower East Side.
"We can turn the corner and repair the homes or let this extraordinary housing group, which is home to more than 400,000 people, crumble and get worse … This is the turning point we are in now," he said. .
Schumer's office appealed to Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, to ask him to allocate the funds to a national housing account accessible to NYCHA.
"If Carson and the administration accepted the request and introduced the credits in the fiscal year 2020 budget, NYCHA would be able to access these funds for long-delayed capital improvements." date, "said spokesman Angelo Roefaro.
Reciting a litany of chronic problems that affect NYCHA units in the five boroughs, including molds, broken boilers, leaking roofs and lead paint, Schumer said it was time for HUD to "put your money to your mouth ".
"We had a visit from the secretary of the HUD. The New York regional representative stayed in the houses. We had a lot of words. And we invited them to enter and install a monitor. But we have no money, "said Schumer, the leader of the Senate minority.
HUD Administrator Lynne Patton, who has been in NYCHA units for the past two weeks, was stuck in an elevator last Tuesday in Frederick Douglas Homes in Manhattan.
She remained in the elevator about 15 minutes before being released after someone in the packed car accidentally pressed the emergency alarm button.
Schumer said he called Carson last week to ask for $ 1.2 billion and the secretary seemed open.
"It's time to make these places liveable, no one will be in a palace here. But it should be a place where you can live with some decency and some dignity. That's all we say, "said Schumer.
The city and federal authorities agreed at the end of last month to allow a federal supervisor to oversee the struggling authority to set the long-standing conditions for NYCHA's 326 developments.
The senator said that the city and state should not have to provide all the funding needed to process the authorities' $ 32 billion arrears, noting that the city has committed $ 2.2 billion over next 10 years.
Republican Nydia Velazquez echoed Schumer's remarks that the city, state governments and federal governments should provide funding to help NYCHA.
"We are here today to remind the federal government, but especially the Trump administration, that most people living in social housing pay federal, state and municipal taxes. It is the responsibility of the three levels of government to act, "Velazquez said.
Velazquez, whose congressional district extends to Manhattan's Brooklyn, Queens, and Lower East Side neighborhoods, said as a doctor that Carson should know why these funds are so necessary.
"And let me remind Secretary Carson. When he appeared before the Senate at the confirmation hearings, he stated that as a physician, he was very concerned about the health care provided to children, "she said.
"So you can not tackle the problem of asthma in children in social housing without repairing the infrastructure. Mold is related to water, leaks in the roof. That's why he has to plead his case with the President of the United States. It's the right thing to do, "added Velazquez.
HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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