Brooklyn NYCHA tenant says unsafe mold is spreading across bathroom

From the ceiling to the window, to the tub, Maribel Reyes says there’s an abundance of mold growing in the bathroom of Maribel Reyes’ Red Hook Houses apartment.

News 12 Staff

Aug 9, 2021, 11:36 PM

Updated 1,217 days ago

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A Brooklyn woman is concerned about what she’s calling unsafe living conditions inside her NYCHA apartment, as she says mold is spreading across the walls and ceiling in her bathroom. 
From the ceiling to the window, to the tub, Maribel Reyes says there’s an abundance of mold growing in the bathroom of Maribel Reyes’ Red Hook Houses apartment. 
"I've been living in this apartment for five years. So I noticed the molding within a few months that I lived here. So what I did was a few occasions I cleaned it with bleach, and painted over it. It would still come back,” said Reyes. 
Reyes says she’s worried that the mold is a safety hazard for her and her two children who are breathing in it. 
She says it is so bad, she can’t even give her 3-month-old baby a bath. “There's times and occasions where I've taken him to my mother's house to take him a bath. It's an inconvenience. I'm not going to sit him in that tub or put a little baby tub in there and have that around when he's inhaling it or touching it,” said Reyes. 
She says she’s contacted NYCHA. “They said, 'Well you know, you're not confined to live in housing.' And I said well in reality I said if I could I would leave here, but unfortunately, I live here, and regardless of whether I'm a tenant, whether you are my landlord, this is your job to do this,” said Reyes. 
Reyes tells News 12 someone from NYCHA came to inspect the mold days ago and gave her a document stating they plan to complete her work order within seven to 15 days. She says she received the same document two years ago and that no one ever came to fix the mold issue. 
Other issues include a leaking toilet and construction debris she says comes into her window from outside. Reyes says she has no choice but to leave for the week because conditions are unlivable. 
"It makes me feel like we're just disregarded because we live in the projects, and just because we live here does it mean we have to live under these conditions? "said Reyes. 
She says she’s hoping something will be done soon so her family can live comfortably. 
News 12 reached out to NYCHA for comment and hasn’t heard back yet.