RED HOOK, Brooklyn — For more than 25 years, a Brooklyn man repaired public housing homes and now, as a retiree, he can’t get help in his own home.
Charles Hertzog lives in a New York City Housing Authority apartment with his brothers. Their living room is falling apart and their kitchen cabinets are rotting away. The ceiling in the bathroom is covered in mold. The bedroom ceiling is falling apart, too.
“They really don’t care,” Hertzog said about NYCHA. “They must have other work to do.”
Hertzog’s father was also a NYCHA worker, a heat technician and a deacon. Hertzog proudly displays his father’s retirement plaque, right next to the living room wall that’s deteriorating. Hertzog showed us all the repair tickets, filed and then closed.
“NYCHA staff visited this apartment to assess the repairs needed and have scheduled work to begin tomorrow and later this week as necessary,” an agency spokesperson said. “We ask that all residents continue to use the MyNychaApp or call the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 to create a work order ticket for any maintenance needs.”
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