Residents of Mitchells housing who have been left without gas or water following a partial building collapse say they were handed $15 gift cards from NYCHA to buy meals for the holidays!

Struggling Amid a Crisis

The collapse disrupted daily life for tenants, forcing them to navigate cold apartments and limited access to basic necessities. For families already balancing bills and holiday preparations, the gift cards feel more like a band-aid than a solution. “The $15 doesn’t make up for it because I have no gas,” said Harriet Heyward.

According to News 12 New York, tenants came together in front of building 205 Alexander Ave on Saturday November 22. Together they as voiced how grateful they are for any assistance but are calling for more support from NYCHA, stressing that the amount offered falls far sincerely short of what’s needed to feed families during the holidays.

As we previously reported a boiler explosion caused a chimney to collapse on one side of the Mitchels Housing building. The October incident left majority of residents within the complex without water or gas for days.

Community Voices

“I’m quite sure they did their findings saying the building is good, but I hear a noise, I’m jumping. It’s not fair,” said Harriet. Alongside other community organizers Harriet, stated that the gift cards don’t measure up to the conditions residents have been forced to deal with.

NYCHA Speaks

In a statement issued to New 12 NYCHA says, “Gas restoration work at Mitchel Houses is ongoing. Gas service interruptions and restoration work are a matter of public safety and involve multiple partners and steps, including shutting off service, making necessary repairs, inspections and coordinating with service vendors, in order to safely restore service as quickly as possible.”

NYCHA explained that gift cards and Thanksgiving meals are offered annually to residents within areas that have been impacted by disruptions as well as gas outages. They’ve also confrimed that Mitchel Houses were made a part of this year’s distribution.