I’ve lived in NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea Houses for close to 11 years now, a single parent raising two wonderful young men, one of whom has special needs. This area is vibrant, diverse, and full of energy; surrounded by beautiful brownstones, gorgeous private complexes with an abundance of trees, clean grounds and safe areas to enjoy an afternoon out. It’s an ideal place to live and raise children but NYCHA residents don’t often share in those benefits.
While our more affluent neighbors enjoy comfort and stability, living in deteriorating public housing has come at a steep cost — one that has harmed our health, our children, and our overall quality of life.
For years I’ve lived with black mold spreading through our kitchen and bathroom walls, nights without heat in the winter, infestations of mice and roaches, and elevators that break down constantly. At times, conditions in these developments resemble a Third World country — with human waste in the hallways and stairwells, and piles of garbage forcing us to perform acrobatics just to reach our front doors.
Many of us wait weeks, if not months, for repairs, walls patched, asbestos abated, and paint jobs. Many times, this resulted in filing complaints at Housing Court with no resolution in sight. Band-Aid fixes won’t work anymore.
When the opportunity finally came for us to have brand new homes through the redevelopment project for Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea, I saw it for what it is: hope. A lifeline. A chance for my family and my neighbors to live in safe, modern new apartments without having to leave our community. And yet, as the first wave of families begin to move, marking the start of the project, the loudest voices against it try to silence us with endless objections and complaints — despite never having lived on our campus, and likely never will.
Opponents of this project conveniently live in surrounding luxury condos and brownstones blocks away from us, bothered by the idea of noise from the construction, but not by the hazardous conditions so many families live in. They’ve created their own narrative, making us victims incapable of voicing our own opinions. Making the grotesque conditions we live in minuscule.
They don’t ride the broken elevators or wait hours on end in front of the building hoping emergency crews come to fix it. They don’t have to worry if the gas lines will be shut off suddenly without notice or if the water is contaminated again, but they sure have a lot to say about what we deserve.
I’ve been a part of countless Community Board meetings where the room is packed with people who do not live in NYCHA having much to say about the project. They come with conspiracy theories and misinformation, spreading lies that we’re going to be displaced, that this is some trick to kick us out as if we are ignorant to the facts.
The truth is simple: this plan was built with us, not against us. Residents had a seat at the table from the very beginning. Our experiences and our voices have shaped it. And the deal is clear — every single NYCHA resident gets a brand new apartment, right here on the same campus. No one loses their home.
So, when these outsiders shout about “transparency” and demand answers from the people in charge of the project, I can’t help but feel frustrated. We’ve been asking for help for decades while our homes crumbled around us, and no one listened. Now, when we finally have a plan that gives us real answers, outsiders work to stop it, “advocating” to block it, pretending to speak for us when we made the decision to say “YES!” long ago.
No one is being forced out. During construction, only a small number of residents need to relocate into newly renovated vacant apartments right here on campus. Families of this first wave have already begun moving and are settling into their renovated apartments until the new buildings are up. Everyone stays here.
It’s discouraging and heart-wrenching to see so many people living in fear now because of all the misinformation they are being told and quite honestly, it needs to stop.
This is the first time in decades that a plan like this has been developed with NYCHA residents, not behind closed doors. And if we let fear and outside pressure influence it, we risk losing the only real opportunity we’ve ever had to fix what’s broken. We believe in a healthier, safer and more vibrant Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses where children can play freely, the elderly can mingle, and families can be proud to call this place home.
Luciano lives in Elliott-Chelsea with her two sons.
