NY Curbed reports that on Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to declare a state of emergency at New York City Housing Authority in order to expedite much-needed repair work, reports the New York Post.
Last month, four City Council members called upon Cuomo to meet with local elected officials to discuss additional funding to get faulty boilers and heating systems at NYCHA buildings repaired quickly and also requested that the state provide limited oversight of the housing agency.
“NYCHA is in a crisis and I stand with the residents on this,” said Cuomo in an interview with NY1. “The answer can’t be to NYCHA residents, it’s going to take us three years to turn on the heat. The answer can’t be, well, we don’t really know if your child is in an apartment with lead poisoning.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio had committed to investing $200 million to replace and repair boilers and heating systems at 20 NYCHA developments but the project would take until the end of 2022 to complete. Governor Cuomo stated that there needs to be a “real solution” for NYCHA’s myriad issues that isn’t going to take three years to address.
No word yet on when he plans to issue the declaration of emergency.
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