Housing conditions at the New York City Housing Authority have drawn sharp attention in recent years, including federal court orders requiring the agency to remedy hazardous living conditions in public housing. Yet repairs continue to be frequently addressed in New York City’s civil housing courts. The Red Hook Community Justice Center’s in-house Housing Resource Center partnered with Columbia Law School’s Community Advocacy Lab to review four years of court filings (2016-2020) arising from tenant-initiated Housing Part actions and corresponding apartment inspection reports by the Code Enforcement Division of New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The report identifies divergent housing conditions and repairs for tenants in buildings owned by the housing authority compared to those owned privately. It also provides an analysis of the unequal treatment afforded public housing tenants as a matter of law and institutional practice, and how this exacerbates the disparity between private and public housing conditions. The report concludes with recommendations to improve access to justice, maintain basic levels of health and habitability, and ensure public housing residents receive fair treatment under the law. Public housing provides a valuable service, offering low-income families an affordable housing option in many of New York’s most diverse and inclusive neighborhoods.
Disclaimer regarding document "OpenData - HPD Violations in Red Hook": This data set provides a snapshot of housing violations in public housing in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which are not publicly available elsewhere. Use of this data for research purposes may require human subject review by the person or institution using this information.