'A 10-year sentence.' Crown Heights residents complain of heating issues
Michael Hollingsworth, with the Crown Heights Tenant Unions, says inconsistent heat can turn into a serious issue.
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Crown Heights residents, like Olivia Dowd, rallied at 243 Kingston Ave. Wednesday, claiming they're living with inconsistent heating issues. Dowd says she's lived in the building for 10 years.
“It feels like I’ve served a 10-year sentence at 243 Kingston Ave. because of the brutal cold," said Dowd.
Dowd says most of the people who live in the building are seniors and claim the past three nights they've had no heat. While News 12 crews were at the building, the heat was turned back on. The building's super told News 12 it was fixed Wednesday but declined to make any further comments. Tenants say they've made multiple 311 complaints for heat - not just this year, but also last year, saying that inconsistency is the issue.
“I feel that what's happening to us is shameful. It's heinous. I feel I wouldn't go to say these atrocities because it happened winter after winter," said Dowd.
Michael Hollingsworth, with the Crown Heights Tenant Unions, says inconsistent heat can turn into a serious issue.
“If there was a fire people sort of respond to that right away and they know that’s sort of deadly and they’d send the fire department right away because you want to get people to safety. It’s the same thing with the cold, like people can actually freeze to death," said Hollingsworth.
A spokesperson for Housing Preservation and Development says they received multiple complaints at that location the past few days and have sent multiple inspectors who they say found no violations of the Housing Maintenance Code. They say during this time of the year when daytime temperatures fall below 55 degrees, they say indoor temperatures must be at least 68 degrees between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Tenants claim that their apartments were 50 degrees around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Deborah Handberry says she hopes there will be more consistency going forward.
“It makes you depressed. It makes you depressed; I was crying earlier. I blew my top because I’m tired of suffering like this and I feel like I’m trapped," said Handberry.
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development says it will be doing another inspection.
Some of the tenants say they've taken the issues to housing court and are going back in January.
