The state senate’s Independent Democratic Conference has reached its breaking point in regards to the major lead crisis facing the city’s public housing authority (NYCHA).
On Monday, the group including State Senators Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn) and Diane Savino (D-Bensonhurst, Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Dyker Heights, Gravesend, Sunset Park, Staten Island) released a bombshell report, titled “The New Flint,” comparing the lead crisis facing tenants of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) with the lead crisis that captivated a nation in Flint, Michigan.
“Every child growing up in NYCHA housing deserves to be free from lead poisoning. Every parent raising a family in NYCHA housing deserves to know that their apartment is not poisoning them. As someone who grew up in NYCHA housing myself, I know it is our duty to ensure NYCHA lives up to its responsibilities to every NYCHA resident. ‘The New Flint’ report we release today outlines the public health menace NYCHA created by its failures,” said Hamilton.
NYCHA houses 396,581 authorized residents, nearly four times as many people as the city of Flint, Michigan with a population of 98,900. In November, the City’s Department of Investigation found that the authority lied about performing lead paint inspections. The report specifically named NYCHA Head Shola Olatoye as having lied about lead poisoning inspections in approximately 55,000 potentially dangerous apartments. Olatoye later admitted to submitting false paperwork on the inspections and potentially putting thousands of kids at risk.
However, even in the wake of the shocking lack of paint inspections, residents are still experiencing issues according to the IDC survey including:
- 79% of residents said NYCHA did nothing when lead paint was discovered in their apartments
- 80% had children whose children’s blood-lead levels have not been tested
- 54% called NYCHA for repairs, but are still waiting in excess of a month for repairs
- 63% indicate their apartment has peeling or chipped paint
- Over 82% said NYCHA did nothing to educate them about lead paint
“This survey indicates what we have been hearing around the City from the 400,000 NYCHA residents daily: action is desperately needed. No parent should live in fear that their young child has been exposed to lead paint in the home, especially if we are unable to grasp how widespread the severity of this failure on NYCHA’s behalf,” said Savino.
Along with survey, the senators also unveiled a comprehensive package of legislation to protect residents from the failures of NYCHA. The package aims to clean-up the ailing city agency and protect tenants, legislation includes requiring 311 to accept NYCHA complaints, an Independent NYCHA Monitor, City Council Oversight, The Repair Certificate Program, Lead Based Paint Reports, Property tax abatements for lead removal, mandatory lead screening for children, follow-ups for children who test for elevated lead blood levels and The Occupation Protection Plan that would re-inspect buildings for lead paint.
“Today, I stand with colleagues in advancing steps to combat these dangers – the serious danger a developmental neurotoxin poses to our community’s children. Today, I stand with colleagues to restore peace of mind to these families. And today, I stand with colleagues to ensure this type of crisis is never repeated,” said Hamilton.
However, top public housing officials are denying the comparison and claim the authority has in fact reduced lead paint exposure.
“These officials are playing politics with public health. Comparing New York—a national success story in reducing lead exposure—to Flint is alarmist and wrong. Exposure rates among children in New York City has fallen 87% since 2005, and they are even lower among kids in public housing,” said Dr. Mary Travis Bassett, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
In addition, NYCHA spokesperson, Jasmine Blake, asserted that once NYCHA discovered its lapse in compliance it immediately began lead inspections again, claiming all Local Law 1 inspections in the 2017 cycle were conducted by a certified vendor.
