"Every time it rained, water came running into her Manhattan two-bedroom from above the windows.When her family came over for dinner one night, they were interrupted by dripping ceilings. They pushed all of the furniture to the center of the room to keep it dry. "That was embarrassing to me," said Maria, who asked City Limits not to use her real name out of fear of retaliation from her landlord."
"Mold grew. Her kids, 6 and 8 years old, started getting sick. Coughing, they had to stay home from school, which meant paying for a babysitter. "I don't know why they make my life so difficult," Maria said. She's one of 100,000 tenants in New York's Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) program, some of whom live in unsafe conditions, according to city data and reports to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request."
Private managers of federally subsidized Project Based Rental Assistance buildings in New York City often fail to fix health and safety problems, leaving tenants in unsafe conditions. Tenants fear reporting issues because they worry about losing subsidies and facing retaliation from landlords. One tenant experienced rainwater leaking into a Manhattan apartment, damaging furniture and creating mold that sickened her children; management denied responsibility and refused repairs. City data and reports to HUD indicate many PBRA units have unresolved violations. PBRA tenants are predominantly low-income residents of color, seniors, and people with disabilities who face barriers communicating with managers to preserve their housing.
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