Bronx resident says yearslong wait for NYCHA transfer is putting her life at risk
According to Rodriguez, NYCHA approved her transfer to accommodate her medical equipment and healthcare needs. However, she says that despite that approval, she continues to be told to wait.
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A Bronx woman says she has been waiting years for a handicap-accessible NYCHA apartment, despite being approved for a transfer she says has yet to materialize.
Carmen Rodriguez says she no longer feels safe or comfortable in her current NYCHA unit in Melrose. She is now pleading for a relocation to a more suitable apartment, claiming her medical needs are being overlooked while she remains on a waitlist.
“I keep asking, what more evidence do they need to move me?” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez says she has taken every step required to document her condition. She has attended multiple appointments with her cardiologist, primary care physician and hospital social worker—all of whom provided official letters to NYCHA detailing her health issues and the need for a handicap-accessible apartment on a lower floor.
According to Rodriguez, NYCHA approved her transfer to accommodate her medical equipment and healthcare needs. However, she says that despite that approval, she continues to be told to wait.
“This is like a personal hell,” Rodriguez said.
After years of waiting, she says her living conditions are taking a toll not just on her health, but also on her dignity and privacy.
Rodriguez is not alone. More than 159,000 applicants remain on NYCHA’s preliminary waitlist citywide as of May 31, highlighting the widespread demand for public housing and transfers.
In a statement to News 12, NYCHA confirmed that Rodriguez has been approved for a transfer and remains on a waitlist for a fully accessible five-room apartment in the Bronx. The agency says it will contact her once a unit becomes available that meets her medical needs and her position on the waitlist.
