| Releases & Statements
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum issued a report today that highlights the appalling and sometimes dangerous living conditions in many buildings that house the Department of Homeless Service’s (DHS) scatter site program for the homeless. Key among the findings is that nearly 20 percent of buildings had 250 or more violations issued by the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD).
“Thousands of New Yorkers are living in deplorable conditions because of greedy landlords and a program that, in essence, turns a blind eye to slum-lord behavior,” said Gotbaum. DHS spends over $70 million on the program annually, which pays $3,000 a month on apartments that might have otherwise rented for less than $1,000 a month.
Gotbaum launched an investigation that cross-referenced HPD issued violations with all DHS scatter site apartment buildings. The investigation revealed:
Sixty percent of the 280 buildings in the program have been issued 100 Housing Maintenance Code violations or more.
One-fifth of the buildings have been issued 250 Housing Maintenance Code violations or more.
Almost 25 percent of the buildings have been issued 50 or more Housing Maintenance Code Class C violations, the most serious violation in the code.
Ten percent of the buildings have had liens placed against them. Liens are placed on buildings when HPD is forced to make a repair the owner has not fixed.
The buildings were also found to have been issued violations by the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the Environmental Control Board.
Sixteen percent of buildings have been issued 20 or more DOB violations.
Seventy-two percent of buildings have active DOB violations.
Fifty-two percent of buildings have active Environmental Control Board violations.
Based on these findings, the Public Advocate recommends:
The DHS review the Housing Maintenance Code violations of the buildings in question, and review HPD tax liens, and DOB and ECB violations issued against the building. Gotbaum also recommends that DHS review all news coverage associated with building in which they rent apartments.
The DHS require violations be corrected before inclusion into the scatter site program.
The DHS review buildings already in the program.
Gotbaum was alerted to the problem after a series of complaints made to her office by residents of 280 E. 21st St. in Brooklyn. During her visit to the building she found a myriad of dangerous safety and health conditions in tenant paying apartments, while neighboring DHS rented apartments stood newly-renovated. The building has been issued a total of 1056 Housing Maintenance Code violations by HPD, 10 Department of Buildings (DOB) complaints, 23 DOB violations, 15 active DOB violations, 11 Environmental Control Board violations and 7 active Environmental Control Board violations.
“The landlords were willingly and wantonly letting the apartments fall into such disrepair that paying tenants had no choice but to move out. Then they rent them out to DHS at 4 or 5 times the rent,” continued Gotbaum.
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