It’s been days since residents at Cooper Park Houses in East Williamsburg haven’t had heat or hot water in their apartments. Things have gotten so bad that some residents have resorted to wearing blankets indoors and boiling hot water on the stove to bathe. The public housing complex is one of several buildings under the NY Housing Authority that has reportedly been experiencing long periods of no heat or hot water.
Councilman Antonio Reynoso, who represents the districts of Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Ridgewood, became aware of the situation after one of the building’s tenants sent a complaint through Twitter on Monday.
a newborn baby is living in Cooper Park Houses w no heat or hot water for multiple days @NYCHA @NYCMayor @NYGovCuomo @CMReynoso34 @assemblymanjoe @JuliaCarmel__
— elise (@goldinelise) January 14, 2019
According to the councilman’s office, two out of four boilers in the building were down, causing a portion of tenants to be cut off from heating. By Tuesday, repairmen from the NYCHA were able to do a quick fix and temporarily resuscitate one of the dead boilers. Permanent repairs to the boilers are scheduled for Wednesday.
Cover photo courtesy of Erica Joy.
