The New York City Housing Authority cannot keep up with the bed bug complaints in its properties.
Consider the numbers:
And this is the dismal picture in just one housing development in Manhattan:
NYCHA has a policy of three bed bug service calls per complaint. Clearly, it’s not happening. Not even close. Leaving tenants to their own devices when it comes to bed bug infestations virtually guarantees infestations will spread.
Building-wide infestations are extremely costly to manage. Consider the case of 260 Nassau Street, a provincially-managed building in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that was evacuated last week—all 118 tenants—for 5 days for intensive bed bug treatment. The residents’ belongings were heat-treated and they were temporarily housed in hotels. The entire annual pest control budget for this building, $65,000, was to be blown in this venture. This is on top of the $130,000 that has already been spent to try to control bed bugs at 260 Nassau Street since 2007.
We all know that NYCHA’s financial situation is dire.
But the bed bugs must be eradicated everywhere in our city.
There aren’t yet, in New York City, low-cost bed bug preparation or control services. There will be, later this year, we hope. But not yet. And we all know how fast bed bugs spread.
One more thing we know: NYCHA does not have a seat on the new bed bug advisory board.
These pages may be of related interest:
- NYT neediest: a Bronx mother, disabled child and bed bugs
- “We need to be aware and alert and the city needs to respond”
- Bed bugs make the home page of the NYC Department of Health
- NYC’s Bed Bug Advisory Board: what is it and what is it for?
- Stop Bedbugs DC: a bed bug summit to start the dialogue to end the bed bugs
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NYCHA IS CORRUPT:
won’t get rid of rats
won’t provide heat to all tenants
what makes anyone believe they will get rid of bedbugs?
on another note: here’s a statement from a typical NYCHA employee when we complained our refrigerator didn’t work: He said: You have too much food. DUH!
And when we complain about no heat most of the heating season they lie and say we have heat. THEY ARE THE GARBAGE OF THE WORLD, NYCHA ROTS from the head down – Bloomberg, the chairman, the management
I understand your frustration, Jose. Have you tried contacting the Public Advocate?
They can’t help and if they do it will be a minimal service and cost more than the building itself cause they are getting ripped off by bullshit pest control companies. I”m sure the $65,000 they just spend was a complete waste of money and did nothing to solve the problem. So they heat treated, good job, I’m sure it wasn’t done correctly at all!! Second, I’m sure the technicians doing the job went around and just fan sprayed down the apartment with synthetic pyrethroids which for the most part in NY and other placed bedbugs are resistant to it and will not eliminate a severe bedbug infestation. Better off asking the tenants to treat themselves and use the $65,000 for heat during the winter time, they use more heat in the SUMMER then complain they have no money in the WINTER!! ITS A JOKE!!! ITS A SCAM!!!! Its NEW YORK!!
The $65K story is about a public housing building in Canada, not NYC. We don’t know how much NYCHA is spending on bed bug treatments in its properties. We know that they’re not servicing bed bug complaints. We know this from their own statistics and from residents who have told us that they call, get a ticket, and never get the pest control visit. Meanwhile, the bed bugs party.
But, BugBoy, best not to be so pessimistic, what do you say? If we all adopt this pessimistic attitude, that nothing can be done, because the system itself is bad, then we won’t be able to help anyone. We have to work in good faith and believe that we can make a difference in people’s lives. No one should have to live with bed bugs. We fully expect the bed bug advisory board to consider the problems of bed bugs in public housing and come up with real-world recommendations that can work.
Renee,
will try that. Right now we are thinking of going to court. We have hundreds of examples of proof of no heat. NYCHA doesn’t care. They lie, they come over and play around with the radiator (for show) almost 100 times, making us sit here for hours instead of doing what we need to do, then Robert Knapp writes us condescending letters saying on such and such particular day, it was a technical problem. Yeah-right – for 5 years! Or they turn up heat a tiny, tiny bit RIGHT BEFORE they come over, so they can say there IS heat, and as soon as they leave, no more heat – they turn even that tiny amount off.
When rats came in through the pipes, they sent over a stupid guy who only sprayed two lousy inches of the apartment. And they waited until the next day! One whole night and half a day with a huge rat and mice in the apartment.
we figured out with help of a friend, that rats were coming in through hole in radiator, and plugged it up with Brillo. If we take the Brill out, I’m sure kitchen will be filled with rats.
They are crooks. Taking rent for no services. They don’t get rid of drug dealers, or the noisy people, or the ones who stink up the building.
I’m sorry to hear that, Jose. I hope you can get help.
My grandfather is 83 years old living with Alzheimers, and Coronary disease in NYCHA Lillian Wald on Lower Manhattan. He has had a Bed Bug problem in his Apartment since October 2008. My Aunts have contacted the Management office, the exterminator have come indo a 15 minute spray and leave, They have not removed the plates fromthe light switches, nor have they asked for anyone to remove all of the clothing from the closets, etc and was and dry them on High heat, Nor have they done a vacuuming of the mattresses and Furniture…They have not dont the 3 step procedure they calim to do, nor do they come back for a reextermination unless you call them. What can we do???? I have not stepped a foot in my grandfathers house since October because I am afraid of bringing the bed bugs into my house. I feel abandoned and I do not know what to do, He is all alone and the Home attendant agency keeps threatening to drop his case becasue the home attendants do not want to be there because of the pest problem..Can you blame them..The last exterminator said he has to throw away all of his furniture..Is NYCHA going to pay to replace everything? He lives on a fixed income $500 a month!!! I dont know where to turn…
I’m sorry. That is terrible. I am really sorry.
I think you should contact everyone you can think of, frankly. Contact your council member, the public advocate’s office, call NYCHA every day. You are going to have to do this. No one will care otherwise, you already know that I’m sure.
It’s possible to take precautions and not bring the bed bugs home. Your grandfather will likely need help to have his apartment properly treated and to get his laundry done and so on. I am not aware of any agency that provides such services. You are going to have to reach out to everyone in the provider and social services network who cares for your grandfather to ask for help and every representative you can think of to ask for pressure to be applied on NYCHA to correctly treat the apartment. No one should live like that.
There are virtually no bed bug resources in our city. It is heartbreaking.
But you have to be strong and put your game face on and start making calls. Honestly, I would call everyone. This should not be happening.
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