NEW YORK (TBEN New York) — Dozens of residents of low-rent housing in the Bronx have lived without hot water for weeks.
Now many fear the freezing temperatures will affect the most vulnerable people who live there.
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Julie Franqui says the tap water in her apartment on East 153rd Street in the Melrose Houses should be hot, but it isn’t, making it impossible to do basic things at home like wash your hands hands or wash.
“I’ve been calling since December 4. Luke warm water. They didn’t do anything,” Franqui told TBEN’s Thalia Perez.
She is not alone. There are approximately 140 residents living in Building 7, and it seems everyone is affected. Dana Newman lives on the eighth floor and says it’s especially hard on her two young children and her 85-year-old mother.
“Especially, like, with my mom. She has leg problems, so we have to keep the area clean. And with cold water, we have to boil it. It takes time,” she said.
Residents say they have been dealing with lukewarm water from their taps for two and a half months now, but recently the water has turned freezing.
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“How are we going to wash our hands? How are we going to disinfect? We can use cold water, but that really won’t do anything,” Newman said.
Residents say their complaints to management have fallen on deaf ears.
“If you call the complaint line, they don’t pick up. If you leave a message, they do nothing. Who else are we supposed to call? Franqui said.
TBEN has contacted NYCHA, which says they are investigating the matter.
But residents say help with the hot water problem can’t come fast enough.
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TBEN’s Thalia Perez contributed to this report.
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