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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jeannie Lopez, Resident of Boston Secor House, on RAD/PACT Program Impacts
5:07:53
ยท
145 sec
Jeannie Lopez, a resident of Boston Secor House for 19 years, testified about the negative impacts of the RAD/PACT program on her living situation and well-being. She expressed concerns about unclear lease terms, harassment over rent, health issues from ongoing construction, and the threat of eviction.
- Lopez claimed she never agreed to or voted for the RAD/PACT conversion process
- She reported experiencing health problems due to construction, including headaches, nosebleeds, and breathing difficulties
- Lopez called for the City Council to conduct an independent survey of the RAD/PACT program and potentially put it on hold
Jeannie Lopez
5:07:53
My name is Jeanie Lopez.
5:07:54
Thirty five fifty five Bavana Street, Officer Sequo in the Bronx, and I advocate to save Section 9.
5:08:00
I've lived in this building for over nineteen years, and what once was my home now feels like a place I'm being forced out of little by little.
5:08:07
The Rad Impact program was presented as a solution, but instead has become a nightmare.
5:08:12
I'm expected to sign a lease under confusing terms while being harassed for rent and withheld a voucher until I do so.
5:08:18
With exaggerated rent arrears and random fees that seem to be out of nowhere, HRA does not recognize any of these private companies, so how would I get the rent help once I do sign?
5:08:28
Everyone feels like a new rule being thrown at us, making eviction an ever present threat.
5:08:32
It feels like they're setting us up to fail and fall behind just enough to justify them of us pushing us out.
5:08:39
I feel my future here.
5:08:40
Nytanisa stop lying on off oath, no less, is diabolical.
5:08:45
No wonder why they left.
5:08:47
I agree.
5:08:48
I never agreed to this process, and I certainly never voted for it.
5:08:52
We were told that it's just a survey only to find out later it was being used as a vote without full understanding or consent.
5:08:59
Meanwhile, construction is being done all around us with carelessness, leaving behind dust, toxic fumes, debris that has taken a serious toll on my health.
5:09:10
I wake up with headache, nosebleeds covered in dust.
5:09:13
My breathing, clearly as y'all hear, is affected.
5:09:16
I'm stressed out, and it's making my mental health spiral.
5:09:20
The anxiety of not knowing if I will be able to afford to stay in my home and dealing with unanswered questions, unfulfilled promises, and threats of eviction.
5:09:28
It's an ongoing battle.
5:09:30
It's a fight for survival in a place that's supposed to be my safe haven.
5:09:34
The passing of my late mother has affected me, and on top of grieving, now I'm being forced into uncertainty about my future.
5:09:40
I'm trying to rebuild and refine my career path.
5:09:43
But how can I do that when I don't know of when I have a home next month?
5:09:47
No one should have to live like this.
5:09:49
I'm calling on the city council to conduct an end up survey on the RAD impact program to assess the true impact on this convergence
Jonathan Gouveia
5:09:56
Your time is expired.
Jeannie Lopez
5:09:57
Our rights, our safety.
5:09:59
I have thirty seconds, an extra thirty seconds.
Chris Banks
5:10:01
Thirty seconds to wrap it up.
Jeannie Lopez
5:10:02
This entire plan needs to be reevaluated, and if not, put on hold entirely.
5:10:06
No New Yorker should be pushed toward homelessness, especially not any long term residents like myself who are simply trying to get back on their feet.
5:10:12
We deserve stability, transparency, and a fair chance at a future.
5:10:16
Thank you, counsel.