Thousands of New Yorkers are now living in poorly kept “cluster units” as the city’s homeless population tops 59,000.
For instance, 594 Park Place in Brooklyn has 20 units and 37 open-code violations, including lead paint and nonworking smoke detectors, according to the New York Daily News. Another temporary housing project at 19 West Mosholu Parkway North in the Bronx has 50 units and 63 open-code violations, including lead paint and collapsed ceilings.
Yet another building at 1016 E. 174th Street in the Bronx with 35 units, has 100 open-code violations, including roaches, water leaks and lead paint.
“I’ve developed depression. I got high blood pressure. I cry a lot. I sleep a lot. I just hate being here. It’s just crazy,” Carol Byrd, 50, who was placed in a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx with her husband and three children, told the Daily News. “It doesn’t matter where. I just want to get out of here.”[NYDN] – Christopher Cameron