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NYCHA reports thousands of residents without heat or hot water amid frigid temperatures
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jan 21, 2025
Modified Jan 21, 2025
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Johnramos1987 via Wikmedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jan 21, 2025
Modified Jan 21, 2025
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More than 3,000 residents of New York City Housing Authority complexes across the city had no heat or hot water on Tuesday, as temperatures hovered in the single digits with wind chills, according to the agency.
The entire Soundview development in the Bronx was experiencing unplanned heat and hot water outages, the agency’s online service interruptions tracker showed as of noon. Over 2,600 residents live at the complex, and NYCHA crews were working to fix the issues, the agency said. NYCHA said by 4 p.m. staff had restored heat and hot water at the development.
About 160 residents of the Teller Avenue complex on East 166th Street in the Bronx’s Concourse Village were also without hot water, as were 210 residents of a building on Bush Street at the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, according to the tracker.
At Holmes Towers on the Upper East Side, residents had their heat and hot water restored on Tuesday morning, but some said the issues are sporadic during the winter.
“ I feel like the hot water is almost never on and we kind of have to constantly be calling to report it, and nothing really ever gets done,” said 24-year-old resident Amanda Flores, who said the issues have prevailed in the complex since she was a child. “ Almost every single holiday we can count on there being no hot water, no heat or both, so I feel like that's our gift from Housing.”
Flores, who lives with her 72-year-old grandmother, said they use a space heater and lots of layers to stay warm while the heat is out. When they need to shower, she said they often have to “go back to the olden days” by heating water on the stove and using it like a bucket.
“ There's a lot of elderly people in these complexes and a lot of disabled people as well,” Flores said. “So it's pretty rough.”
The housing authority was still working to address an unplanned water outage that was first reported on Sunday at a building at the Farragut Houses in Brooklyn’s Vinegar Hill, with almost 300 residents affected, the data showed.
A planned water outage was also reported on Tuesday morning at the Sumner Houses in Bed-Stuy, affecting around 160 residents.
NYCHA confirmed in a statement that it had restored heat and hot water at the Holmes Towers, adding that the agency was continuing to communicate with residents there. The agency did not say when the services at other complexes would be restored. Temperatures will likely be in the teens at night this week, and highs are not expected to go above freezing.
The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development says residents who are without heat or hot water in private rental buildings should first reach out to their landlord or superintendent before contacting 311 to have service restored
Building owners are required to provide heat in the winter when temperatures drop below 55 degrees in the daytime, according to the department. Apartment temperatures must be at least 68 degrees during the day when it is below 55 degrees outside, and at least 62 degrees at night no matter the outside temperature.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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