Date
April 19, 2021
On April 19th, NYHealth hosted a webinar on how public housing residents can better advocate for safe, healthy living conditions during the pandemic.
As the COVID crisis continues to negatively impact New York City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, the need for safe housing to shelter in place is more important than ever. However, for many residents in New York City’s public housing, stay-at-home orders have meant having to deal with additional health threats as a result of persistent mold, lack of heat, and other basic infrastructure deficits.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is one of the largest landlords in the City, with responsibility for the timely maintenance and upkeep of the homes of 400,000 New Yorkers, most of whom are people of color and are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. TakeRoot Justice provides legal services, participatory research assistance, and policy support to NYCHA residents. It works alongside tenants to help them advocate for better living conditions and to have a voice in the policies that shape their neighborhoods.
Paula Z. Segal, Senior Staff Attorney, Equitable Neighborhoods Practice, TakeRoot Justice; La Keesha Taylor, Community Organizer and Tenant Advocate, Holmes-Isaacs Coalition; and Latisha McNeill, Tenant Advocate, Holmes-Isaacs Coalition discussed how they organize tenant groups and provide them with the tools to work with NYCHA and improve living conditions for residents.