"Where the Other Half Lives..."

Our Grantee, Community Voices Heard, is quoted in this piece by Manny Fernandez for the New York Times. Published April 13, 2008 in the Metro Section.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/nyregion/13hernandez.html?ex=1365825600&en=dde299ae47a39c68&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

... Crime is only one concern for residents. Keith Massey, 56, a longtime tenant at the Abraham Lincoln Houses in East Harlem, said the condition of the buildings and the grounds has worsened. “The stairs are not the way they should be,” said Mr. Massey, a member of the grass-roots group Community Voices Heard. “The halls are not the way they should be.”

Mr. Hernandez said the agency had tried to improve conditions and its response time to maintenance complaints; it has added a new 311-style call center for residents to request repairs. And in cutting staff, he said, the agency has tried to protect essential services, like building and elevator maintenance, while keeping the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment at $281 a month. The Housing Authority’s operating budget this year is $2.8 billion, a slight increase from last year’s $2.7 billion. While the budget has remained roughly the same, federal support has not. ...

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