UES NYCHA Tenants Suing For Repairs Continue Fight In Court

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Side public housing tenants suing the New York City Housing Authority appeared in court Wednesday for the first time since filing a lawsuit demanding the city agency perform repairs in their buildings, lawyers representing the tenants announced.

During the court hearing, the New York City Housing Authority agreed to maintain building conditions at Holmes Towers and Isaacs Houses — located on bordering campuses between First and York avenues from East 92nd to 95th streets — at the standards mandated by laws. If conditions are worse than legally required, the court may hold NYCHA in contempt, lawyers representing tenants said.

"NYCHA’s officers — from the chairperson to the housing managers — cannot avoid their responsibility for poor conditions at the developments they manage," Michael Leonard, senior staff attorney at TakeRoot Justice, said in a statement. "We are proud to stand with the Holmes and Isaacs residents who are fighting for safe, habitable and dignified living conditions."

Holmes and Isaacs residents filed a lawsuit in December with the demand that NYCHA conduct a full roof-to-cellar inspection of the complexes and make all necessary repairs discovered during the inspection. Tenants said they deal with problems such as broken elevators, vermin infestation, lack of heating and hot water and broken intercom systems and overall dilapidated conditions on a daily basis.

"The only recourse residents have is through the court system to sue for decent and timely repairs," Holmes Towers resident La Keesha Taylor said in a statement."This is still frustrating because it takes great courage for residents to sue and not fear retaliation from NYCHA."

Taylor, one of the co-founders of a group called the Holmes-Isaacs Coalition, said in December that she worries about the health of her young son. She described one night when her son woke up with a gushing nosebleed because their building's shoddy heating system was cranked up way too high. The next day, her building was without heat.

Read more about the lawsuit here.