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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Carla Hollingsworth on NYCHA Housing Conditions and PACT Program
4:05:11
ยท
134 sec
Carla Hollingsworth, a long-time resident of Stuyvesant Gardens, testified about the poor living conditions in NYCHA housing and her concerns about the PACT program. She described decades of enduring deplorable conditions, including mold, leaks, and pest infestations, while expressing frustration with NYCHA's lack of transparency and accountability.
- Hollingsworth criticized NYCHA's handling of repairs and maintenance issues, citing examples of unresolved leaks and ineffective solutions.
- She expressed skepticism about the PACT program, feeling that residents are being forced into it without proper choice or information.
- Hollingsworth called for more accountability from NYCHA and questioned why her development wasn't given the opportunity to choose their path forward like other developments.
Carla Hollingsworth
4:05:11
Thank you for the opportunity to be heard.
4:05:13
My name is Carla Hollingsworth and I'd like to speak about something that I am really passionate about, living at Stuyvesant Gardens.
4:05:21
I moved in on 05/23/1990 with my three children.
4:05:27
I've had to endure deplorable conditions for decades and I have lived in three different buildings of the development.
4:05:35
The non existent insulation compounded with the radiators that shoot steam at times causes mold to grow in our closets and the bathroom vents have never worked, caused the mold to grow in our bathrooms.
4:05:49
Then there are the leaks from above that are covered up and never found.
4:05:53
By covered up I mean they will open up the ceiling or the wall and eventually close it back up without finding the leak.
4:06:01
The dampness attracts the roaches which live in the walls coexisting with the mice that you can often hear scurrying in the walls.
4:06:08
After attending meetings where I've asked what the permanent plans are for our development which was originally built as temporary housing, I've never received an answer.
4:06:19
I was asked by one of the people who descended on the development knocking on doors and spreading misinformation about PACT, what I wanted.
4:06:29
And when I answered accountability I was told that I should be happy with a nice apartment.
4:06:34
I keep being told that I have no choice because NYCHA doesn't have the money to do the necessary repairs.
4:06:41
This is not the fault of the tenants.
4:06:43
I keep being told that NYCHA has been underfunded for decades but they don't mention the misappropriated funds throughout the decades.
4:06:52
And in light of all that we have been through over the years, we are now being told that we have to trust the entity that has not done the right thing by us to be the oversight of the entities that they have chosen to do what they couldn't.
4:07:06
Unfair.
4:07:07
But so they tell me we don't have a choice.
4:07:10
Why?
4:07:12
Other developments got the opportunity to choose.
Chris Banks
4:07:15
Thirty seconds to wrap up.
Carla Hollingsworth
4:07:16
Other developments got the opportunity to choose the route they wanted to take moving forward.
4:07:21
Why not us?
4:07:23
Thank you for listening.