Remington St

The New York City Housing Authority owns more than 80 houses that are sitting vacant, many of them blighted and causing a nuisance for neighbors according to a story in the New York Post. Nearby residents have been complaining for years that the houses are infested with rats, that the yards are used as dumping grounds and people often break into them. Many of the houses are in Queens with several in Jamaica like the one above at 106-17 Remington Street. The city took the houses over from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1970s. After tenants moved or passed away the houses were left empty and many have been that way for decades.

A neighbor of one of these homes told the Post: “We live in a terrible situation. This is wrong. We’ve had people break in, do their dirty work and come out. Random people with trucks throw garbage in the back yard. It’s a dumping ground.” The neighbor of another said, “We have to deal with trespassing, garbage, mosquitoes, possums and rats. I call the city every year. Sometimes they come. They just sit here, eat lunch and leave. The Housing Authority abandoned this home.” Neighbors have cleaned up the yards, boarded up the buildings and shoveled the snow at these city-owned properties.

The housing authority is seeking permission to transfer the homes to non-profits that could fix them up and make sure they are occupied but many residents are skeptical saying they have heard those plans before but nothing ever happens.

NYC’s Housing Authority is Hoarding Filthy, Blighted Homes [NY Post]

Photo via PropertyShark


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