NYCHA Residents Return To Court To Regulate Their Own Housing Conditions From Harlem To Hollis

On Thursday, February 6, 2020, the resident-led Holmes-Isaacs Coalition will return to civil court to demand that City agencies do their part in monitoring and regulating conditions.

Throughout uptown, like the two Upper East Side public housing developments and to demand that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) maintain the buildings’ common areas and major systems in working order, as Civil Court Judge Daniele Chinea ordered on January 15, 2020 (click the link to see order). Elevator outages and days without hot water have persisted despite the court’s order. The Holmes-Isaacs Coalition is represented by TakeRoot Justice.

In June, following protests by the Holmes-Isaacs Coalition and the Justice Center en El Barrio, NYCHA withdrew its Section 18 land disposition application to HUD that would have allowed Fetner Properties to build a fifty-story luxury infill tower on top of the Holmes Towers playground. NYCHA continues to insist that infill development is needed on this campus as a prerequisite for basic services and repairs.

The Holmes-Isaacs Coalition was formed to combat the public housing crisis that has plagued all of NYCHA campuses and fights for adequate funding and timely repairs for all NYCHA residents.

 The Justice Center en el Barrio is an East Harlem based hub for social justice and community organization, committed to building the people’s movements. It supports organizing against racism, war, gentrification, and abuses on the job.

TakeRoot Justice provides legal, participatory research and policy support to strengthen the work of grassroots and community groups in New York City to support community-based partners to dismantle racial, economic and social oppression.