Two weeks ago, News 12 spoke with Rosalind Kitchens, a resident at Linden Plaza in Brooklyn, about the intense mold issue in her apartment that she said had been lingering since 2019.  

Workers finally began repairs on Monday after the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development issued an emergency work order following News 12’s coverage.  

Kitchens tells News 12 that when workers began the repairs, she realized her fears were a reality – black mold lined the back of the cabinets across her apartment. She says she suffers from severe asthma and multiple other health conditions that have been exacerbated by the mold.  

“All the cabinets was covered with black mold, it was unreal,” said Kitchens. “It’s getting really overwhelming, I just busted out and cried.” 

Kitchens says that while she is thankful that the fix is underway, her allergy to bleach, which workers need to use to remove some of the mold, has left her apartment still inhabitable. She’s filed to move to another apartment through the management of the building, but hasn’t gotten any headway there.  

“Let me sit in 4T because that apartment is empty,” said Kitchens. “Then when the bleach smell goes away, I can come back so I don’t have to be in the hospital.”  

The conditions at Linden Plaza have been deteriorating in recent years, prompting HPD to search for a new owner who can finance the repairs needed throughout the complex.  

HPD provided News 12 with the following statement regarding this ongoing issue: 

"An HPD inspector was onsite at the tenant’s apartment today and will continue to ensure that management makes the necessary repairs so the tenant can have a safe, clean, and comfortable place to call home."