NYC Housing Authority [NYCHA]
reviews and complaints

Well Im surprist NYCHA denied you. THEY approved my nephew to to get an Apartment under their domestic violence program and his allegations of being threaten was dismissed by family court. He got an apartment and he is not a victim of domestic violence. So how did NYCHA denied you after a bona fine incident and the perp is in jail. Please we need to get together and go to the NEWS for help. Right now Im being evicted from my apartment. I was head of household and I allowed my nephew to live with me he and his girlfriend was helped by NYCHA and nothing criminal ever happen to him. This system is messed up and NYCHA need to be exposed

My father (a senior citizen) was assaulted by two men on the property of Twin Parks West. Not once, but two different times. A police report was filed the first time. I looked into getting him a transfer to a senior housing project and filled out all the paperwork. He was denied because in order to be granted an emergency transfer you have to be able to identify the people who assaulted you. Forget the fact that he was targeted for being old. So, then I apply for a regular transfer and after 6 months of calling, they tell me they don't even have the paperwork- they LOST the paperwork!

NYCHA WORKERS CAME INTO MY APT ON A FRIDAY AND KNOCKED DOWN A WALL IN THE KITCHEN DIRECTLY BY THE STOVE. THEY LEFT A HOLE THAT MADE THE BATHROOM VISIBLE THROUGH THE KITCHEN. THE HOLE IS ABOUT 6 FEET WIDE FROM THE CEILING TO THE FLOOR. THEY LEFT THE ELECTRIC SOCKET WHERE THE STOVE IS CONNECTED DANGLING OUT OF THE WALL. THE APARTMENT HAS A TERRIBLE ODOR FROM FRONT TO BACK BECAUSE THE WALL HAS LEAKED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. MY STOVE IS UNSAFE TO USE. THEREFORE I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO COOK FOR MY FAMILY. HAVE SEEN MICE RUN IN AND OUT OF THE HOLE. I HAVE HAD EYE, SKIN AND THROAT IRRITATIONS SINCE AS WELL AS SOME DISCOMFORT IN MY CHEST FROM INHALING THE HORRIBLE AIR IN THE APARTMENT. SO FAR IT HAS BEEN 4 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS AND THEY HAVE SET A COUPLE APPOINTMENTS TO COME FIX IT AND STILL HAVE NOT COME. I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW THEY EXPECT ANYONE TO LIVE IN THESE CONDITIONS. I HAVE WRITTEN A LETTER TO THEM REQUEST A TEMPORARY APT UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE AND THEY JUST IGNORE IT. ON THE DATES WHERE APPOINTMENTS WERE MADE I HAVE WAITED ALL DAY FROM
8AM -4PM JUST FOR NO ONE TO SHOW UP. THIS HAS CAUSED ME AND MY FAMILY A GREAT DEAL OF STRESS. IT IS SUMMER TIME SO WHEN ITS VERY HUMID OR RAINING (WHICH IS VERY OFTEN) OUTSIDE THE SMELL AND AIR IN THE APARTMENT IS A LOT WORSE. I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT. I HAVE CALLED THE BOROUGH OFFICE AND THEY JUST REDIRECT ME BACK TO THE MANAGEMENT OFFICE WHO IS THE OBVIOUS ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. I LIVE IN 60 IN WALT WHITMAN HOUSES IN THE FORT GREENE SECTION OF BROOKLYN.

I also live in 2660 in the same 1 bed room on a different floor I'm going through the same problems I told my housing manager and all she said was find out who's leavin trash next to my door, I was upset I work I come in and out keep to myself I have a toddler who wants to deal with these nasty ppl mice also comes through my door and I hate mice one time I saw my neighbor sweeping his trash from inside his house out to the senerator I couldn't believe it also in my kitchen there's a foil smell coming from the vent that's close to the senerator I just hate it what they need to do is send letters to all the tenants letting them know not to do that

Come to the next Drew Hamilton Houses Tenants Association meeting.
Ms Barbara Barber, DH TA President and her Board may be able to help.

Things can get better. Robert

I am SO sorry people are disrespectful to the property in which they and you live! I can't imagine having to deal with this myself. Others should learn to respect what the Lord has given them and start putting effort into keeping the earth a clean place for all of us. If you got either a cat or dog (in which you didn't elaborate on that) it was indeed a wise move. Think of it also as added security. Cats ARE known to attack masked unknown intruders as well as the usual dog. ~ I will pray your situation will end. I don't mean to nor plan on preaching other than who I am or how I truley feel but PLEASE DO know that God won't make you go thru ANYTHING you can't handle! He knows your strength =] (Line mouse traps against the wall by your door. They are also reuseable. That may also get rid of the need for the animal if your allergies are severe).

GOD WILL OPEN DOORS NYCHA WONT

I agree as well i also live in NYCHA in Brooklyn and we are only able to get cable vision but cannot install a dish how can we get satellite dish on NYCHA premises without getting evicted?

I live in a private apartment building, and we are not allowed to install satellite dishes either. Many buildings have that policy. You do have the right to watch whatever you want. You also have the right to choose where you want to live. If you want to live somewhere where you can get satellite, you can choose to live there. No one is forcing anyone to live in a NYCHA housing development.

Call your local health department, take photos, call the city. Pick up the phone and start helping yourself.

don, t take section 8 in the projects they lock you in there for ever and don, t let you leave so they can make money from section 8

Hey...I was shown an apartment last year by NYCHA Washington Houses and it was not in good condition. When the housing specialist showed me the apartment it was a mess. The previous renter's belongings were still in the apartment. The tiles were coming off and the walls were dirty. I was so upset that they would show me an apartment in this type of condition. At first I told her that I can't live like this. She then told me that NYCHA will fix the apartment and it will look brand new. She then said if I didn't take the apartment I would be placed on the waiting list which could take years. It already took 3 years for them to offer me an apartment. So I took the apartment. Two months later I moved in and everything was fine. They painted the walls, put new tiles on the floor and new doors. I think you should of took the apartment because by law they are required to make all those repairs.

take the apartment then look for somewhere else to go. At least you wont be homeless.

I am addressing my comment to ANDREW11. Its people like you that make living in low income housing HORRIBLE.
1. My rent is close to $1, 000 per month not 300 as you stated
2. I have a job!
3. I do not own a car
4. My apartment is impeccable, you can eat off the floors
5. I am a single mother of 3 children and I DO NOT NOR HAVE I EVER COLLECTED AND GOVERNMENT FUNDS ie food stamps, welfare, section 8 NOTHING.

Obviously you have never visited every apartment the NYCHA owns. You comments are untrue and ignorant. If you do not like your job, quit! Let someone else have your that actually WANTS TO WORK!

Who are you to pass judgement on the entire housing community? Regardless of where you live, if you pay rent you are entitled to fair treatment. I for one have been without a bathroom for 2 weeks, because the ceiling collapsed from a leaking pipes. One of my children is disabled, she cannot live in those type of conditions. Housing just gives you the run around, or just put a "Band-aide" on it. I have missed countless days of work, only for them to try and place blame on you as to why they are NOT CAPABLE NOR QUALIFIED to do their jobs. How does this fall in the " YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" category? I pay my rent on-time every month and all the extra fees they impose on you without prior written notification.

I agree that the city spends way to much money to contract people like you WHO DONT WANT TO WORK! So why are you complaining? Your no better than the people who collect welfare & food stamps, because you ALSO COLLECT GOVERNMENT FUNDS TO SIT ON YOUR BUTT & DO NOTHING!

People you live in a housing! why are you complaining? pay the same rent as others then you would get what you payed for! how much do you pay for rent? what car do you drive? come on i worked in a lot of housings as an independent contractor and i see how much city spends for nothing and how you people live there, you get welfare or food stamps and medicaid you don't have to pay for anything your rent is like 300 dollars for 3 bedroom apartment, you work for cash somewhere and you still complaining? Shut the F*CK UP

NYCHA and all other programs are ways to legally steal money. I have many many stories as a small landlord. I work with my tenants. Programs are always going to be around, and they will always fail. People that have no clue about housing are running housing. Yes, oh yes they will debate you tooth and nail but its what you see we have to deal with. We are being robbed by people that talk talk talk and explain everything while failing. I agree with all the complaints. The housing system is being milked.
kris g

I so agree with you The NYCHA are the worst people to deal with, they work just like we do but act like they're better than us. I feel if one does not like their job move on - something my bosses states all the time - to do your job correctly you need to love it or at least enjoy it. I was left waiting the entire day for my inspector to inspect my apartment she never showed up. I tried calling but no one answered. Actually they did but put me on hold and left me there. I hung up and called back phone just keep ringing. I took a day off without paid to accommodate these inconsiderate imbeciles. Politician only become interested in us when it's their time to run. Elections!

I wish all NYCHA conplaints were like yours. But the truth is, alot more is going on inside the average NYCHA project than most people know. For, generally unknown is, many tenants living there are among the most undesriable to be found anywhere.

The one thing that no one talks about is some of these tenants covertly & systemically KILL & generally BROKE the HEALTH of people living in their development, any time they like, IF, THEY DONT LIKE THEM.Aside from outright MURDER, here are some of the methods they use. Spraying subtances poisonous and otherwise into your windows, & at the cracks of your door frame, especially at night while your are sleeping. You can always tell when this being done because you wakeup in the middle of the night grasping for breath, with tightness in your chest, and have to raise the windows.

They also stalk new tenants those with jobs and anyone generally upright in behavior. [In other words anybody who lives a lawful life.] Also among those stalked are older persons and people who live alone.

Worst of all, these criminals have gained proficiency in lock picking. They work in gangs and keep a close watch on their victims, in order to can pick their locks and enter their apts. the moment they leave. THEIR WORK IS ALWAYS DONE IN STEALTH. They look for jewlwry and small valueables, stuff you leave out in the open or forget to pick up before you leave home. But they'll take anything valueable left out in the open.

They don't disturb anything, so. when you return home, you don't notice anything missing. Becasuse of this, sometimes it takes weeks, even months to discover something missing, and even then, you can't pinpoint the last time you saw it, you only know its gone, and in most cases, long gone.

If you are the fussy type who likes to report things to the police, they create a rumor in the project/neighborhood that you're crazy. Then they systemically start to tamper with your food, everytime they pick the locks. If you have any un-used prescription drugs in the house they put that in yoour food, if you don't they just use crack in it.

So now, aside from things gone missing, you're now starting to act funny, and look funny. Your energy levels change and you are generally incapacitated without understanding why.

These people count on you to compound the problem by going to the DR. who makes his best guess, and then prescribes something which in combination with what has been put in your food, adversely effects you.

Generally, the people who set you up live "right" next door. They point you out to the neigborhood criminals and notifiy them when they see you leaving your home In some cases, this is done to get you to move out which as you know sometimes isn't so-easy. Also if you move out they won't have to be confronted with you, if, you die.

When reported, the police do little or nothing to help, the NYCHA doesn;t want to be sued so they also ignore you. Anyway like i said, everyone thinks you're crazy, by then.

That's why i say I wish, i only had a broken frig to report.Sorry if some of you are shocked, but its all true, I and more. If you can help please contact me, by posting a reply on this website.

Yours Truly,
Lost in the Projects

I live in Surfside gardens Coney island and the building is not maintained properly, graffiti, urine in the stairwell, lobby and elevator and also dog feces.My mom slipped and fell in the dirty lobby.All Nycha wants is the rent and not maintain the buildings and see to the tenants needs.

Yours truly
simone

Imoved here five months ago i dont no that the house was up for forclosrue me and my two daughters have been living in this apt not noing it was up for sale i have been working and going to court ever month meaning taking days off for that in the mean time i have had sectino8 since 2002 and now me and my kids are basily homeless i have no idea what to do .the hole time there no heat no heat and hot water now section 8 is telling i have no program .staten island ny my name tasha conway

All winter long Samuel Gompers Houses would turn OFF the heat from 10pm until 5am the next morning. Tenants called the Centralized Call Center constantly complaining about no heat overnight. I had to sleep with my hat and sweater to bed and buy a heater! If I pay my rent I should have heat. Heat is included in the rent! I am disabled and got very sick because of this incident this year. I will not be in the hospital for NYCHA. They want you to pay rent but the services are very lousy!

We are landlords and we have such a problem with NYCHA section 8 inspectors finds things wrong with our apartments. It's a never ending process no matter how much we try and the amount of man power hours to deal with them. Any suggestions?

Hello my name is Kristina Mayfield and i want to make a complaint against section 8 myself.Section 8 is very lazy and do not want to accept when they are wrong they want to keep blaming the client and it's not on there end my situation with section 8 not doing there part got me evicted out my apartment.I went to go make a change with one of my children on my section 8 so i got everything they asked me for now i also went to my management office to make changes there as well .To make a long story short i founds out that section8 did not make any of the changes i asked them to do not only did i find out days of getting post evictions to leave my apartment so i go to the office and i asked them what's going on i want to no y my rent went up and nobody sent any letters out letting me know anything what made it even more upsetting is that they told me the reason why my rent went up is cause im the only one on my budget and asked them how is that and i gave them the information so it c an be done after that the guy stated to me being that it was an error on there end that i will be able to ask them for a reimburstment form so they could pay back the back rent all i know is that section 8 need to get it together cause people are loosing there apartments cause of them not doing there job .I don't know what to do now i been in my apartment fore 9yrs i don't want to loose my place. so what am i to do know

Hello my name is Tonya Waddell I put in for section 8 7 years ago in brooklyn NY before they put it on a freeze and before I had my daughter they still haven't done nothing for me yet and I think they're handling my case unperfectionally please someone help me my number is [protected]

. June 1st i did my recert.My rent went from 148 to 353.00. June 17 2013 I lost my job. By july 1st I had all the documents to give to nycha, termination letter, unemployment letter, affidavit. everything. Ive called 311 numerous f time complaing " elliot lauerstein is the reason. Why am I paying for rent as if Im still working. Like really Im suppose to pay 30 percent of my incme how am i on public assistance and my income is basically 300.00 do the problem, when I called today to to the man, they had told me he retired/ how convenient eh, smh... Ima go hard on nycha swear. this is not right..

I have been on section 8 in California for seven years. Every single time I call my worker she never calls me back. The only time I hear from her is when she needs something from me. I've recently called about rat and roaches infested in my apartment. I did not get a call back again. I called environment health and they came to my apartment and looked around and they are giving my landlord two weeks to do something about the problem. I then tried calling my section 8 worker again and still nothing. Im so frustrate and I don't know what I can do. Any suggestions?

To Whom It May Concern, 5/31/2013
I thank you for your time I know you are extremely busy.
I am writing to express my concern and the mis-treatment I have experienced within the Section-8 Voucher Program with the hopes of gaining your assistance.
After waiting for two-plus years to receive a transfer voucher I was granted a 3 bedroom voucher however 3 days after, my husband was removed from the voucher. There had not been any communications as to why this change occurred. I found out about the change after I found a 3 bedroom apartment and paid the $1992.00 security deposit and $1992.00 first month’s required rent (the first month’s rent is non-refundable)
I was shocked to say the least when my application was denied for the household consumption size change.
I resubmitted all the information as requested to have my husband added back to the voucher in the beginning of May-however my case has not been assigned to anyone and the work being done on the case is non-existent. This proves to be detrimental to my family.
Our landlord refused to give us a lease release and section -8 refused to continue with the transfer without one-needless to say I was in a tough spot. In order for my landlord to agree to a release I had to give him a hard date. That date is June 12th which is rapidly approaching.
Now here we are with a 3 bedroom apartment in limbo, $3984.00 paid down, a move-out date of June 12th and nowhere to go with 2 small children ages 6 and 3.
Please help me-I have done all I know how to do. I call the contact center daily and stress the urgency, I have called 311 and filed a complaint and now I am writing you. Please Help. I appreciate you and your time. Thank you.
shawnajones07@gmail.com

pleasse i been waitting for over 2months end 3weeks for inspection to come see my new trasffer apt i found im really depress im a very sick disable person i gave secion 8 my doctor letter end they not helping me with this in spection tehy give me a date for my landlord no one show up ary 3weeks new appoinment from 8 am true 5pm no one comes all im asking pleasse need my aptment to be inspection i have lots of valetion in this aptment here i dont even have a refrigarater no heat no repairs i have a 10yold daughter with me a her are getting very sick depress no one is helping us pleasse help my familly i got the apt-is in good shape i all ready seen it is has heat refrigerater stouve is very good aptment plaesse help us get my familly out off this bad pat i been waitting over febuary now we are in april just for inspection ...my email pleasse vainlopez@yahoo.com

I don't understand the purpose of t his blog or section. People complain and nothing is done about it. Section 8 workers are lazy and arrogant. My mother in law who is 76 years old put in for a portability transfer in April, has had to complete the same documents three (3) times, because the workers refuse to look at her copies of said documents. I moved to Florida and this is where my mom in law intends to come. Her apartment is in such a terrible state with fungus that her health has deteriorated in the 3 years she's been there. We even took a doctors note. The family friend is trying to be patient, but as we all know the economy is such that a vacant apartment right now is foolish. She is on the brink of losing this apartment. A supervisor, Mr.Williams told my sister in law that June would be the last time she would have to travel to that office. Well again in July she had to return, he was not in. I think that this is unacceptable. Section 8 is an assistance to the people who go through hoops to get it. These workers look down on the recipients and treat them with disrespect and disdain. An overhaul investigation should take place and these assistants should know what will and will not be tolerated. While I think I am wasting my time writing this complaint, I would love to see some changes in the the treatment of recipients, because after all if there were no recipients, they would have no jobs.

my name is christrine.on april 07 2009 my ex boyfriend cut me 8 x's with a meat cleaver on my face head and back in front of my kids.i needed stitches and a blood transfusion.i could have been killed.i just recenly applied for housing under domestic violece priority and got denied that priority cause the incident was over 12 months ago.thats crazy.even thou he is in jail he knows where i am. i want to get out of my moms home before he gets out of jail so he cant find me.i would have applied sooner but wasnt told of this deadline period or my options.its like dont ask dont tell.if i would have known i would have applied sonner.just because i dont have a recent incident dosnt change the fact that i live in fear.this gotta change.i wish they could see my crime scene photos. then maybe they would understand how dangerous this man realy is.if anyone can help me fight this or guide me please for me and behalf of my kids it would be much appreciated.. email krawiecchristine@gmail.com

I'm a section 8 recipiant. I have a awful landlord, that provided me with adifferent lease from the one given to sec8. He allowed me to pay more than I was suppose to pay for, he also claim to sec 8 he pays for my utility allowing sec8 to pay him extra, when I pay for my own as well as getting a few disconnection notices when time gets hard, and always have. I've complain to sec8 so many time he's crocked and he repeatly allow the apartment to fail inspection...I complain to Sec 8 providing evidence as well to the Inspectors General and ask sec8 to allow me to get out because I'm being harrass for starting a HP case against him...NO ONE WANTS TO HELP ME...It's funny when a tenant don't comply with the lease, they so quit to terminate the tenant, but the landlords get away with victimizing us and getting away with it because of our status.