‘It’s like a battle zone.’ Brooklyn mother says NYCHA apartment is unsafe for her children

Tina Ali says parts of her apartment are literally falling apart, from a loose sink cabinet to a leaking radiator that floods one of her children’s bedrooms.

Shakti Denis

May 6, 2025, 2:51 AM

Updated 5 hr ago

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A Brooklyn mother says her NYCHA is deteriorating to dangerous levels, and she’s pleading with the agency to move her family to safer conditions.
Tina Ali lives in a three-bedroom unit at the Ingersoll Houses with her six children, including a 4-month-old baby. She says parts of her apartment are literally falling apart, from a loose sink cabinet to a leaking radiator that floods one of her children’s bedrooms.
“I shouldn’t be able to see through the wall,” Ali told News 12. “You can splish splash in the water!”
Ali says she’s reported the issues repeatedly over the eight years she’s lived there but says NYCHA has done little beyond temporary fixes.
“Don’t sit here and put a Band-Aid on the job,” she said.
In a statement, the agency said “NYCHA staff have visited the unit and will work with the resident to address these concerns as soon as possible.”
Ali says she’s desperate to be relocated before the situation gets worse.
“I don’t want to be here for the next eight years,” she said. “It’s like I’m a prisoner in my own home.”