PACC Catches Heat for Lack Thereof at 277 Gates Avenue

Article by Brownstoner.com

March 17, 2009
PACC Catches Heat for Lack Thereof at 277 Gates Avenue
In the last two decades, the Pratt Area Community Council (PACC) has developed over 600 units of affordable housing in more than 60 buildings around the borough of Brooklyn, building a good reputation in the process. Now, however, a group of tenants at 277 Gates Avenue, one of the group's hallmark projects, is calling foul over persistent heating problems and other quality of life issues. A Daily News article earlier this month detailed claims of the tenants association that the building has been without heat for days at a time this winter, as it has in past winters. "[The boiler] never really ran the way it was supposed to," concedes PACC's property manager Stephanie Blue in the article. We contacted PACC's head Deb Howard who told us that PACC is in the process of getting the NYC Housing Development Corporation to approve the replacement of the boiler, a move that's necessary because it requires dipping into reserves held in escrow at HDC; HDC's engineers are scheduled to do a site visit today. In a recent blog post, the president of the tenants association also cites problems with sex workers using the bathroom in the laundry room, a charge that Howard says PACC addressed last year when the problem was first raised by installing a new lock on the laundry room door and telling tenants to call the police if they saw anything suspicious. "We are a member of the FTAP program and have agreed to prosecute any illegal activity occurring on the premises, if the police make an arrest ," says Howard.

PACC & 5 Days Rent Pro-Ration

277 Gates Avenue Tenants Association

March 12, 2009


Deb Howard
Executive Director
Pratt Area Community Council
201 DeKalb Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Dear Ms. Howard

In our first meeting with you in December 2005, we discussed the lack of heat in our building. In 2007, the Brooklyn Paper, Model landlord, tenant tough, by Dana Rubenstein, documented that the residents of 277 Gates have not had heat for 2 years. In that article Ms. Howard you admitted to this heating problem. We met with you and Council Member Leticia James in October 31, 2007 and the central point of that discussion was the lack of heat. March 5, 2009 the New York Daily News reported on our lack of heat this winter: Tenants heated, not apts. by Erin Durkin. Twenty out of 34 tenants have stated that they have complained to PACC about the lack of heat and hot water and that they have submitted complaints to 311 since October 2008 (we have a letter sent to you October 23, 2008 about the lack of consistent heat and hot water). Yet PACC management insists that we have only lacked heat for five days in February 2009, and state they have no knowledge of a heating problem outside of those days. Your ‘rent pro-ration’ for 5 days without heat is an insult.

Again the other concerns we would like for you to address:
Security issues:
• Strangers (including sex workers) continue to use the bathroom in the laundry room, we have several unlocked storage rooms, and the back door does not work.
• After having about 5 supers in 5 years, formally inform us who the new supers are and supply them with badges.

Sincerely,

Portia Adams,
President, 277 Gates Tenants Association, Http://277gatestenants.blogspot.com
212 636-6675, 917 627-2415
poadams@fordham.edu

cc: State Senator Velmanette Montgomery
Assembly Person Hakeem Jeffries
Council Member Leticia James
Council Member Al Vann

New York Daily News Article!

see article titled Tenants heated, apts. not
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/03/05/2009-03-05_tenants_heated_apts_not.html

Tenants heated, apts. not
BY Erin Durkin
DAILY NEWS WRITER Thursday, March 5th 2009, 10:47 AM
Their landlord is a leading tenants rights group, but residents at a Bedford-Stuyvesant building say they've been left out in the cold.
Residents of 277 Gates Ave., which is owned by the Pratt Area Community Council, charged they've been without heat for days at a time this winter.
"You wake up in the morning and the walls are icy, the floors are icy," said tenants association President Portia Adams, adding the building has had the same problem in past winters. "They're very apologetic, but they don't fix it.
"When I moved in, I went to this nice little office, and they had all this tenants' right stuff," Adams, 50, said. "They act like a slum landlord."
Melicca McCormick, 38, said heat in her apartment went out for four days during her kids' school vacation. When she called to complain, she got a full voicemail box. "When you can't reach anybody and your children are turning blue, it's very frustrating," she said. "It's almost as cold as outside," added daughter Maya Sequira, 7.
Roosevelt and Roberta Philippe bought three space heaters to keep their apartment warm, and they bundle up their 3- and 7-year-old kids in hats and sweaters. They said the hot water goes out frequently as well.
"This winter, it's completely out of control," Roberta said. "We've been going weeks with maybe only an hour of heat during the coldest days. ... It's not excusable anymore."
The 6-story, 35-apartment building, which contains a mix of low-income and market-rate units, is one of 57 buildings managed by PACC. The group also does tenant organizing in Bed-Stuy, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
PACC property management director Stephanie Blue said the problem was a malfunctioning energy-efficient boiler and heat sensors from the state's Energy Research and Development Authority.
"It never really ran the way it was supposed to," she said, adding PACC is now shopping for a new boiler, which should be installed in the next two weeks.
Though some tenants say they've complained repeatedly during the winter about the lack of heat, Blue insisted the problems were limited to a few outages last month.
"To say all winter is just a fabrication. It's not so," she said.
"We care about our tenants, and we are doing everything possible to make sure they're comfortable and happy," she said.

The constant lack of heat throughout the years

Dear tenants,
did you receive a 5-day discount on your rent this month? Do you think it is enough? I think it will barely cover the electric bill increase due to the use of electric heaters. It does not compensate us for the constant lack of heat throughout the years and especially during these last months, nor for the physical and psychological stress this problem has caused to all of us, and certainly not for the safety risk involved in heating our apartments with gas stoves. I'm debating whether to pay this month's rent at all. This problem should have been taken care of by now and PACC should be held accountable for not doing so.

Regards,

Roberta Philippe (Apt.6E)

PACC's response to Roberta's post

This is the the reply I just received from Deb Howard:

Dear Roberta, I have been in contact with maintenance staff regarding this issue, last week and over the weekend. Up until Saturday morning the boiler was being manually operated to try and compensate for the coil which had broken and needs replacing and is on order (for $9,000), hence the sporadic heat over the last week. However, on Saturday morning the starter box broke down and there were no replacements available at any of the supply houses which is why you have had no heat since then. The Maintenance Director is at the building with the engineer now and we are making the decision this morning probably in the affirmative to replace the whole boiler as this one has been nothing but trouble since it was installed and it is no longer under warranty. The irony is that there was a perfectly good boiler in the building when we first bought the building but to get the NYSERDA grant during the construction, we were required to put in a new energy efficient boiler at a cost of $41,000 and what a nightmare it has been! We are also checking with the lender to see what reserves are available for such a purpose although PACC will front the expense to make sure the replacement can happen quickly.

I know that does not in any way appease your frustration or your concern for your family’s or other tenants’ health and safety but please know that we are working hard to resolve the problem. I will be discussing further the issue of compensation with the property management staff.

Deb Howard

Executive Director

Pratt Area Community Council

201 Dekalb Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205

(718) 522-2613 x 18
(718) 522-2604

We've had hardly any heat in our apartment for over a week now.

We've had hardly any heat in our apartment for over a week now. The notice posted by the property management after days of complaints, asking for our patience while they wait for the part to be replaced in the boiler was infuriating. I called 311 on Saturday (complaint #4645002) and just wrote a message to Deb Howard, PACC director. This is the content of my message:

Dear Ms Howard,

I am one of the tenants of the PACC managed building on 277 Gates Avenue and I am writing to call your attention to the heating problems that we have been experiencing in the building for years and that have now become simply intolerable. After months of constant service interrruptions, we have now been without heat for over a week, during some of the coldest days and nights of the year. The property management has posted a notice after days of complaints informing the tenants that they are waiting for a part to be replaced in the boiler and asking for our patience and cooperation. This is no longer a matter of patience and cooperation. It is a matter of serious inefficiency and violation of our basic rights as tenants. Our kids are getting sick and take twice as long to recover from seasonal illnesses and we are forced to warm up our apartments with electric heaters that boost our electric bills and with gas stoves, potentially posing a safety threat to ourselves and others.

I am asking for your intervention to solve this problem at once and to offer the tenants of 277 Gates Ave. compensation for the physical and psychological stress caused by this ongoing problem.

Thank you,

Roberta

It has been cold inside for the 277 Gates Tenants

I have called 311 to inform HPD of our lack of heat at least twice a week. Presidents' Day weekend we had no heat. Each time I call they tell me someone else from this building has called. It has been between 54-62 degrees during the day in my apartment. This has been a miserable winter. Today I checked the status of my HPD complaints for heat and found none. My past complaints were allegedly fixed. I also saw a report that my carbon minoxide alarm had been fixed and I am looking right now at a broken carbon minoxide alarm. This is very disturbing. Today I called 311 for no heat again, has been 60 degrees in my apartment all day, my no. 4645019.

Keep calling 311.


Portia Adams
President 277 Gates Tenants Association

Baby its cold inside!

TENANTS,
Keep a thermometer in your apartment and note the temperature everyday to document the uneven heating in the building. The next tenants meeting Wed., Jan. 14th, 8pm.

277 Gates Tenants Association thanks Council Person Letitia James and Assembly Person Al Vann for convincing PACC to inspect and repair Mrs. Williams' apartment. Updates on the inspection and repair will be posted.

We also thank Dagan Bayliss, tenant organizer for speaking to the association on December 10th.

Several tenants called PACC and 311, to encourage PACC to fix the front door, for weeks its was difficult to exit the building due to a broken lock. Through your efforts the door has been 'fixed'.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Tenants Meeting December 10th 2008

At December 10th Tenants Meeting we have a guest speaker, Dagan Bayliss a Tenant Organizer. Come ask Dagan questions about tenants rights and winning strategies. This Wednesday, Dec. 10th at 8pm.

Seriously it takes a village

With the help of Council Persons Al Vann and Letitia James, PACC was persuaded to relocate Mrs. Williams. PACC also agreed they would inspect the indoor air quality using EPA inspectors and then repair the peeling paint and warped floors. As a representative of the 277 Gates Tenants Association we would like to express our deep felt gratitude. Mrs. Williams would still be suffering if you had not intervened. Thank you.

As for the tenants association: Thank you Paula, Margie, Norma and Greg for your direction on the email discussion with PACC. Vincent and Rhonda helped to move Mrs. Williams things and Jackie and Rhoda helped Mrs. Williams set up her telephone. Kim thank you for your constant support.

Yes, its takes a village. Thank you all!


Portia Adams, President, 277 Gates Tenants Association

http://277gatestenants.blogspot.com/



NEXT TENANTS MEETING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10TH 2008, 8PM

A recent letter to PACC concerning one long-time tenant's ongoing problem.

November 14 ^th , 2008

To: Deb Howard, 

Executive Director of PACC                                                                                            

RE: Ms. Mabel Williams and Pratt Area Community Council (PACC)

Mabel Williams has lived in 277 Gates since 1980.   PACC bought her building in 2002 for $50,000 from the city promising to provide affordable housing.   Mrs. Williams a former secretary did not leave the building while it was being renovated until there was literally a flood of water into her apartment.   PACC stated it packed and stored Mrs. Williams’ furniture.   Mrs. Williams then stayed in temporary housing on Spencer Street.   Ms. Williams had to fight PACC with the help of Bed-Stuyvesant Legal Services to keep her apartment in 277 Gates and in the end she was pictured with local stakeholders and Deb Howard, the Executive Director of PACC at the ribbon cutting and opening of the building.

Mrs. Williams returned to 277 Gates and her furniture was brought back to her apartment but the furniture was broken and damaged by a flood in the apartment, some of her furniture was never retrieved and among the things brought into her apartment were broken things that were not hers.   Mrs. Williams still has the damaged and broken furniture in her apartment today, and her other things like custom made shades, lamps, couch, end tables, etc. are gone.   More paint is peeling off her walls than is staying on them.   The living room floor is warped.   Mrs. Williams can represent her story better than I can, and Rick Sostchen of Baltic Street Inc., 718 855-5929, ext. 25 can confirm this event.  

Most importantly there is an irritant in the apartment that is not odorous but feels like you are inhaling sandpaper.   Frequently buildings that have experienced flooding are susceptible to indoor pollutants.  Several home health aides have complained to GuildNet home health services that there is an irritant, and that the apartment is falling apart.  

A few words about Mrs. Williams, her vision is extremely impaired and she needs help in her apartment and to go about her daily business.   She uses Meals on Wheels.   She is fiercely independent, and mentally sharp.   So much negative has happened to her since PACC took over the building.   The daily micro-aggressions from PACC staff, the ever-changing superintendants, and unreliable home health care agencies are very frustrating for her, but she still praises God, has a great sense of humor and keeps going.   Many in our building deeply respect Mrs. Williams.

PACC has made offers to paint Mrs. Williams’ apartment and to temporarily re-locate her at Gibbs Mansion, 218 Gates Avenue. Mrs. Williams strongly refused to move to Gibbs Mansion:   the mansion is perceived in the neighborhood as a place where AIDS patients go to die.  

Council Member Leticia James came to our tenants meeting on October 31, 2007.   At that time we discussed heating, security, and the peeling paint.   After the meeting Deb Howard, and her staff:   Ms. Blue, Ms. Roman and the super Everoll met with me and Mrs. Williams in her apartment .   At that time Deb Howard agreed to coordinate a temporary move of Mrs. Williams to an apartment on Spencer Street and that PACC would repair her apartment and reimburse her for her lost and damaged furniture and Mrs. Williams agreed to that plan.   That plan never materialized.   Later PACC offered to move Mrs. Williams to the 5 ^th floor apartment in 277 Gates.   Since that time PACC’s chief focus has been on painting the apartment.   One year later Mrs. Williams apartment is in terrible condition, PACC behaves as if they cannot do the painting then they cannot inspect the apartment for pollutants, or reimburse Ms. Williams for damages.   Mrs. Williams also refused to move to the 5 ^th floor apartment.   In this case she reported concerns about using the elevator and being able to get out of the building on her own (the elevator has several breakdowns and tenants have been trapped inside).

Presently, there is a very distrustful and polarized relationship between Mrs. Williams and PACC.   But here we have an opportunity.   The neighboring apartment to Mrs. Williams has been empty, the tenant left.   If PACC could temporarily move Mrs. Williams into that apartment (there would be no issues about elevators or suspicious buildings) then PACC could have the apartment inspected for air pollutants and once that has been evaluated, they could paint the apartment.   A tenant issue that has dragged on for more than 3 years could be resolved.   I hope you will try this alternative.

Sincerely,

 

 

Portia Adams, PhD, LCSW

President of the 277 Gates Tenants Association,

poadams@fordham.edu ,

917-627-2415, 212 636-6675.  

Portia Adams, Ph.D 
Assistant Professor 
Graduate School of Social Service 
Fordham University 
113 W. 60th Street, Office 725C 
New York, New York 10023 

(212) 636-6675 
Fax (212) 636-7876