Want to embarrass the Housing Authority into finally making long overdue repairs? Finally, there’s an app for that.
The smartphone application is the brainchild of public advocate candidate Reshma Saujani, a former deputy public advocate and founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that supports women in the tech sector.
“NYCHA should be setting an example, not acting like a slumlord,” Saujani said. “It’s time we hold them accountable for treating their residents with the respect they deserve.”
Saujani’s app would allow tenants frustrated by delays to post photos and a brief narrative of their specific repair hell on the public advocate’s website by tapping on the “File Complaint” button.
She would then create a “Wall of Shame,” posting a list of the top 25 worst repair nightmares that’s similar to the slumlord list maintained by the current public advocate, Bill de Blasio.
The list would be based not just on complaints from tenants but on longstanding battles with NYCHA about specific repair issues waged by Legal Aid attorneys and housing advocates.
NYCHA has launched a campaign to eliminate a massive backlog of 420,000 repair requests, some dating back four years. At least 10,000 are not scheduled for fixup until next year.
The housing agency says it has reduced the backlog to 245,000, though internal documents obtained by The News show the agency is simply closing repair cases when tenants aren’t home.
