Family with pregnant daughter says they have to wait 2 years to relocate from moldy NYCHA unit

Wanda Garcia has lived in her NYCHA apartment in Williamsburg for over a decade, but she says the conditions have gotten worse.

She says the living room floor is partially exposed to its foundation, paint is chipping from the walls and rusted pipes continue to leak. In the bathroom, she fears the presence of mold, which she says has created an unbearable stench, as well and water issues.

"We have to take the quickest shower ever because it seeps through and into the bedroom," Garcia said.

Garcia claims NYCHA told her that repairs must go through a contractor, but the company does not answer her calls. In the meantime, she says she is left with deteriorating conditions, forcing her to keep windows open at all times and avoid cooking—especially for her unborn grandchild.

"I got to keep a lid on the food. You never know when a piece of ceiling is going to come down," she said. "All I want is my apartment fixed, for my grandchild to come into a safe apartment. That’s all I want."

With a grandchild on the way, Garcia and her daughter obtained a note from a doctor hoping to speed up the relocation process. Instead, she says NYCHA informed her that an emergency transfer would take at least two years.

"They said an emergency transfer has a wait of two years. Does that sound like an emergency to you? It doesn’t in my eyes," she said. "You come into the unit, and you get depressed. I don’t even want to come in here."

In a statement to News 12, NYCHA says it is "working with the resident to relocate the household and will promptly address the concerns in her apartment."