A family of eight living in a NYCHA building says their apartment is falling apart.
What you need to know
- There are several ticket orders to fix problems in Liliana Valenta’s unit in the Fulton Houses NYCHA complex in Chelsea that date back years
- In addition to the necessary repairs, Valenta also takes care of her mother, who has suffered a stroke, and her son Julio Galay, who is paralyzed after a gunshot wound. The two are confined to the house.
- The family says the need to remodel the bathroom to make it ADA compliant is another problem for them
When it rains, water pours from the ceiling into the kitchen. Even the bathroom ceiling falls apart.
“It’s like a nightmare,” said Liliana Valenta, a resident of the Fulton Houses NYCHA complex in Chelsea. “(There) are too many problems.”
There are several ticket requests to resolve issues in Valenta’s unit dating back years.
“You’re not listening,” she said.
In addition to the necessary repairs, Valenta also takes care of her mother, who has suffered a stroke, and her son Julio Galay, who is paralyzed after a gunshot wound. The two are confined to the house.
“I can’t really enter my bathroom with my wheelchair right now because it’s (really) small,” Galay said.
The family says the necessary remodeling of the bathroom to make it ADA compliant is another reason for them.
“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” said Dr. Antoinette Jennings.
Jennings works as victim services director for the Living Redemption Community Development Corporation, an organization that helps victims of violent crime.
“Frankly, we were disgusted because no one, even if they weren’t paralyzed, should live like that,” Jennings said.
NY1 has contacted NYCHA about the conditions in the apartment.
A statement reads, among other things: “Despite decades of government disinvestment, NYCHA staff continues to work to meet the growing repair needs of its properties. This includes Fulton Houses, which has a capital need of $445 million alone.”
After NY1 contacted NYCHA, a call came from a representative.
On Monday, a supervisor will assess the necessary repairs.
However, Valenta said that after years of problems, nothing would change.
