Residents at partially collapsed NYCHA building offered $15 gift cards for holiday meals
Residents stood outside of the building at 205 Alexander Ave. on Saturday to demand more assistance ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Residents at the Mitchel Housing complex in Mott Haven, the site of a partial building collapse last month that left the complex without gas or water, are being offered $15 gift cards per authorized household member to purchase holiday meals.
Residents stood outside of the building at 205 Alexander Ave. on Saturday to demand more assistance ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The $15 doesn’t make up for it because I have no gas,” said Harriet Heyward.
On Oct. 1, a boiler explosion caused the chimney to collapse on one side of the Mott Haven building. The event left some residents displaced and the entire complex without gas or water for multiple days.
Heyward joined Dare to Struggle, a community organization, to criticize the $15 gift card NYCHA was distributing to residents over the next few days. They said the financial support did not make up for the conditions they are living in.
“I'm quite sure they did their findings saying the building is good, but I hear a noise, I'm jumping. It’s not fair,” said Heyward.
In a statement, NYCHA told News 12, “Gas restoration work at Mitchel Houses is ongoing. Gas service interruptions and restoration work are a matter of public safety and involve multiple partners and steps, including shutting off service, making necessary repairs, inspections and coordinating with service vendors, in order to safely restore service as quickly as possible."
NYCHA also confirmed gift cards and Thanksgiving meals are offered every year to households at developments impacted by service disruptions, including those affected by gas outages. They add, Mitchel Houses are included in that distribution this year.
RELATED: NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses hit with nearly 20 violations before collapse
