NYCHA tenant says agency won't accommodate her disability after moving her due to asbestos
Roselyn Janviar, who has an above-knee leg prosthetic, says she requires carpeting in her home so that she doesn't slip and fall.
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A New York City Housing Authority tenant says that her apartment has faced a slew of issues dating back to the '80s and that now the agency won't accommodate her disability.
Repairs, flooding, leaking and more are the norm in Roselyn Janviar's home. She says that she was in court five times in 2023 due to the state of her home - and a flood on Jan. 30 revealed even more issues.
"This is supposed to be my haven. This is where I sleep, I eat - why should I be uncomfortable?" said Janviar. "The judge, the order he made, he said we found asbestos in our whole apartment."
For the last two weeks, NYCHA has housed Janviar in a hotel as it works to rid the apartment of asbestos and repair the flood damage. Janviar says NYCHA is moving her tomorrow to a new temporary apartment in a new NYCHA building - but that it won't be able to accommodate her disability.
Janviar, who has an above-knee leg prosthetic, says she requires carpeting in her home so that she doesn't slip and fall. She says she complained to NYCHA and asked for a temporary rug at the minimum so she can feel safe.
News 12 toured the new apartment and found no rug or carpeting. When asking NYCHA why it won't provide her with that, NYCHA said "it is not their responsibility".
"Housing treats you like you are nothing, especially if you have a disability. They treat you like you're invisible and it's wrong, this is not how you treat people," said Janviar.
One NYCHA spokesperson tells News 12 that Janviar has been offered "multiple hospitality apartments that are ready for temporary relocation" that she has not accepted, but she says she can't accept to live in a state where she is worrying for her safety.
NYCHA tells News 12 that it will "continue to work with" Janviar to ensure a "satisfactory solution".
