Ch 17 Reports

Countless violations of the city's health and safety codes have been uncovered at the Kensington Heights housing project managed by the Buffalo municipal housing authority on the city's far east side. Tonight we zero in on one of those high rise buildings at fifty eight blenny drive where tenants are up in arms. The big question is who is to blame and what can be done about these slum conditions. What is your biggest problem here. Cockroaches. You know they get in the baby screw than. If I don't keep my bed I have to keep dishes up because do you know they still over the sink and. When I put the baby on the fry can put him on the floor to play because they're running around on the floor one of them. You know I've went to the office and. Asked them about an ice storm related and they came and exterminated this apartment. They wouldn't do the whole building they just you know exterminate the apartment. And. The roaches run next door and when they get through they come back.

They're deplorable re-align roaches everywhere. There is just going to climb up. Every sprayed on you know you have to make an appointment for them to come in and. You have to you know go over to the maintenance office and asked them to come in and spray for you. Grass any trouble with them. Well not in my problem but down on the first big one real big one. This racks. This. Big night there's the garbage. We used to have an center a day here and they closed them up all right then we have to carry our garbage out to the dumpsters and when you get there sometimes a dump just is quite loaded with garbage because they get you know we don't have frequent pick up here and there's just garbage everywhere. And then the rights come in and what have you done about it. I've complained about it to the maintenace and to the manager here.

What have they done. Wow they've taken their time about cleaning when the cleaners are right back down there. Did you report the red problem. There is no fire. I reported several problems but what I failed to do myself was the having to make out a work order. That's why I didn't notice until lately. I just go and I say something to him I'm not mad you know but what I failed to do was to have to make up a work order and then there would been some can recognize that since I didn't do it you know one of the major complaints was roaches. The Erie County cemetery code specifies that if a residence is infested with roaches only one. Apartment in a multiple dwelling is the tenants obligation to take care of the roaches. If more than one apartment is infested with roaches then it's up to the

management to exterminate roaches. You also have what they call a serious rat problem there and the same would apply to rodents as well as. Roaches. One of the biggest complaints of the tenants has been the roaches. What's being done about that. Well they report the situation today. The office we will schedule an exterminator in but to my knowledge we do not have that many exterminating work orders at this point. Oh I understand it every part of it is infested and they say when they they spray want to park in the roaches run into the next apartment. Well thats true but I don't agree with that statement that all the apartments are infested. How about the rat problem. I'm not aware of a rat problem. Mice maybe but not rats.

They say that are as big as cats we have. I have personally no knowledge of that. I know we have mice. How about the garbage problem how is that terrible. First off there is no ascent of Vegas and we have to go all the way downstairs outside and I was in the hallways in an elevator. They won't you know. They have janitors. Clean the first floor and name clean out the elevator and you don't. See any more. Dumpsters overflowing and we only have them one dumpster out there for you know building it with quite a few tenants living here there's nowhere to put the garbage afterwards and it tends to sit it down side the golf stick. Improper garbage disposal is a violation of the reconditioning the Terry code. And I understand that some of the garbage is in quotes. Been here mailed by some of the tenants. Which means that it's just thrown out of a window and not putting it put into a suitable container

with a tight fitting lid. If this condition does exist we will be glad to make a joint inspection with management and try to determine which of the tenants are in violation and we will take legal action on violators of the regulation. What is your mail situation. We have to pick it up at the post office. We don't have an email boxes. We had mail boxes with someone to our mouths and. When we. You know went to the office they said we'd have to pick him up pick up our mail at the mailbox and. At the post office and I have two kids for us. You can't walk to the post I know it's too far. Mainly my problem is the mail box I get on my welfare and I'm the first to get out after wrong man has to pick my check up and then come back here. Have you complained about these now. Yes there's been some complaints but no finding on one

instance my son had. Unemployment check and they had ripped out the mailbox and one of the neighbors found his check on the floor and the rest of the mail torn up. And one son had trouble with his b g money from school they sent it and it had to go back because they said we didn't live here. You know the meal conditions here are quite bad we don't have any boxes. What happen to your mailbox vandalism they ripped them all out. I see you're confined to a wheelchair how long have you been confined. Quite a while at least 10 years I guess. How do you get around to get your mail. I haven't been receiving my mail for about a good year. The mail by 7 torn up and. We don't have a life. If I call a post office in the morning and I ask that my checks be where I can pick them up usually in front of the building.

That's the way I get to have the mailbox problem. Yeah this is second generation mail box these are not the originals. These were replaced in 1975 because the previous ones were we thought were not a good design. So we bought these about 3 years ago and again you can see what happened. We got no cooperation from the tenets and parts became a problem and we're still struggling with it. It's going to be done about it. We've got parts and now we're going to start putting them back up there we're going to hope that the tenants will cooperate. What's wrong with the elevator the elevators hardly ever working at daybreak. We have to wait until Monday before we can get an elevator and if it is working the lights are out on the elevator and its patrols to the elevator. Invite your friends or your family. To like you know.

What are they doing about the elevator. Will this elevator I understand has been out several times and I believe it's still out. I understand he had some water this morning and when you get water that'll knock out your electrical systems and until we get the Mandaean it's going to be out releasing it's been out several times over the past year and you were what may have caused it. Most of the time it's vandalism. Because we've been reassured by our elevator people that 99 out of 100 times it's it's vandalism because of the hard use. I noticed they're just putting a door on the front of your building. You know how long that may have been off. It's been dire cents I don't know as days I don't know I asked that they do something about it because in a wheelchair I need

extra door space and when I come out the door open and it wouldn't close and I'm on a first floor and I get all that cold air and I thought they might be paired but nothing was done until now they're working on it. How does that apparently. Channel 17 is interested in our problems brought it to their attention. Yeah they say the storm is out all winter and the people were freezing and they had made complaints to the housing authority and. We were out here last week and then all of a sudden we see somebody putting a door and. We can help for that. We took a dollar sign next day they're all this is been off I wonder. You know did you get the order yesterday or today to put this in there yesterday is this a stock door. That's a real well.

What's the story on the story I understand it was off all winter and they just put it up a day or two ago. Yeah like I say friend we took a hard look at a couple months ago and took a look at what was missing and we're starting to put back. It was a tough morning but the results were our way but we make shovel attempts to get it that we got no cooperation from the tenants in the building to leave it there. As a consequence that's what happens with it now it doesn't look like it's close no it's not. This is the best we could do right now we've got all new doors ordered for all the buildings and every seed will start back up. How about fires in the building. Two weeks ago we had a fire for one of our tenants quit out just to be taken out by the maintenance for the trash and someone set it afire and we had a big fire here melted the fixtures and

whatnot. On the floor and we only had the run rate to get out and the fire department said stay in the smoke billowing in our apartments and where I live I have to you know go down the way the fire was you know to get to the elevator and to the steps to get out. You haven't more than one fire exit. No. Only the front building. You know you get something that fire. Just listen. Do you have any fire extinguishers or horrors or some kind of gadget on the home. Here to the stadium. We never get that time about fires. I understand we've had a few fires in the building. I don't see any fire hoses or fire extinguishers if we ever have them here. Yes we did but we took them down years ago with cooperate with the fire.

They have the necessary equipment when they do it's recall at Kensington heights. There's only one exit actually is that legal through those two exit was to sit in front and a back that's right in the recent months we have had no problem with fires as far as I know we did have a rubbish fire in the hall. A week or so ago. But as far as I know at the present time we haven't made any investigations. There may have been some fires in the buildings are in the area but possibly they were not reported. Kevin how long is this apartment been vacant. About two months. How come it's in this kind of condition. I really can say it's like you know when you leave the apartment so the

kids come in they play around you know alcoholics sometimes come around the sleeping and that's why you probably see this that is now. You know that's what you see that's what you wrote. People leaving garrisons you know where you are. We have a friend in my hand at his apartment in where somebody came in here with spray paint spray who was a little bit you can see most of the other bad news. When you jump down the garden path. You know here they're like you saw the guy get out before. You start to leave and I think he tore off. No wonder the windows and broke. His place really messed up. You know when I'm supposed to come in and clean it up with

yours and devil you know to give to them has been like this for three. Anybody complained about nobody but you know none of the other tenants. This is our fire start you know tenants find a vacant apartment if they find it messy this is you know break in or take the laughed off you know still living in this is how the fires originate. They said all this trash and stuff a fire here this is or just move down and they just left it like they're supposed to come back in and clean it up you know. You know we have some tennis harness or whatever and they just left it like this here. And they're

there and they're supposed to come here at all. What if somebody who wanted to move into this apartment. Well if they're on a waiting list to make sense of come in and clean it up and you know bring them to this apartment and show it to him and they can move. In here this suits you know somebody just came in here after they moved out and threw the stuff around to take a look in the kitchen. I have people moved out here and all of this is clean now you can see for yourself with them still to come and tear it up a notch therefore there. Is pain all over in the bedroom. Here you see somebody just came in here rode on alone through pain on the floor is a pain canister right there on the floor

as ever. It's right there right now. I want to see before I'm going to Airbus this tornado. This minute and I see what I'm trying to do this. How long has this been vacant been vacant for about a month now. And it hasn't been cleaned up as big. Listen partner This apartment has been vacant for three months. And is there any reason why it should be in this condition now. No it should be in France should be cleaned out. Take a look. I don't know how many other apartments vacant are in this condition. But there we have a tabulation in the office I think you'll find this to be the exception not the rule. You look.

At your maintenance people supposed to clean up an apartment as soon as the people move out. Soon after. Yes. You have a problem with your maintenance. Not that we have a problem but we've had a problem with getting supervision. Recently we were successful in getting a performance and we hope to correct the situation. What about the vandalism here where you say it's mostly snow I can blame but I want kids going to see me do it. You coming here was a family that lived here about a month ago. I see the sun taking the stick and poking it through the glass I said man would you do it he said if you don't leave me alone I'm going to tell my brother you can't mess with anybody else. I just have to sit back and watch a lot of times have I have to watch you more. And I'm glad of it. He had any problems with vandalism or a crime. My place was broken into one occasion.

I still don't know how to share the passkey lest I had something to do with it because I'm pretty careful in my doing my daughter a couple of years ago Senator and she was on the landing and dragged her to the roof and tried to rape her. What about crime and vandalism. We've had a lot of complaints of people being raw. Breaking in and so forth. Coping with that situation not as well as we'd like to we have two security men assigned to this development and which is not enough. That is really all we can afford at this point. So we have a cooperative effort with the Buffalo Police Department to answer calls and just about. What is a crime rate here kind of thing tonight. It's cut down from. Parts cut down considerably for the past two years we're doing a

survey and 77 78 79 I don't know comparing is any specific billing singled out knowing it jumps all over the all the buildings. How about gangs you have any trouble with gangs. Not this year. We did last year and the year before but we've cut down considerably. Net effect we've had no cause of gang fights over here this year. What criminal activity do we have here now. Perjury is a. Very small amount of burglaries a very small amount to robbery. Criminal mischief none reported. Why is the crime rate dropped off. Well in the past month they have started a patrol. In the in the various buildings here. And I think this is done a lot. As far as knocking down the crack of dawn to turn security patients side out of the house in 30. Program and.

Many other buildings other security. This was the first year that I haven't seen any. Are you fearful in any way. Yes because you know I'm afraid to go out and feel somebody coming into my apartment and I'm afraid and I don't know whether you know if they can get in one building 50 over there. We can try to organize.

More is one of the reasons why. The trial has not been functioning because they don't have the highly visible. And severe problem. That they had before a tennis ball to organizations function under the crisis if this crisis is to come out and work with go back into the woodwork. What are you doing about the overall problem here. Where we're trying to get some support. From the tenants and from the management and I call my council and then from then on I've went through her and it seems to be something is going to happen to her out there to begin with because they said it was so filthy at the apartments. So we tried to quietly hold a press conference there and we set it up for about four days later we found that Doris had been off their hinges throughout the winter. Here we are with an energy

crisis and we had left and right. We walked through the locks that were torn out of the doors. They had no control. They had no fumigation. And we in fact brought this up to the health department. This was before I made my visit there. The Health Department informed us that some of the buildings they felt should in fact be condemned. One elderly gentleman was handicapped he lives on the first floor. Every single holiday when he has a problem with his drains and sewers they back up into his apartment. They flood his apartment and no one is even working. No one is even on call and he said I sit in this sewage for about three days until the holiday time is over and people come back to work. I had an inch and a half of WARNER Right. Up to the review so. You can imagine me bailing water out of the floor actually. My bathroom floor was the lowest so I had a bit of water over that floor to maybe I want to have.

Clean it up. What made me mad are you get one of the people from the management come and asked me if they could do something for me. In the meantime nobody came. Do you feel it's responsible for the overall mess. Well I feel that the the the terms themselves should have some more in the cooperation in cleaning this place is not the management for this kind of management has a part yes but the turn is that good. Clean out of the city of Buffalo. There are only four state funded housing projects. Two of them are in the L.A. district and two are in my district in the Fillmore district. Instead of. Evenly putting out the money and the attention to these three housing projects mine Kensington Heights is always last it seems that historically Ellicott has had the problem a little longer. And hopefully someday they'll find some money to help push the country to an area.

And we've been talking the last year or two about federalizing the project getting the federal government to come in. This would solve problems because they have a different way of bringing funds in and in fact they have more money to put into the projects you know the more money that they give the city to work with these projects. But they're not talking about Kensington heights they're talking about Douglas tower towers and delicate because they said those are the priorities. If you have any solution for these people. Actually our records indicate that we have not had many recent complaints. If tenants are of consistent habits or any other area in the city but for your economy to have health oriented complaints to refer them to their local offices and we do respond to the complaints usually within 24 hours the solution here is getting our people to come up with a good management plan that they can stick to so we can establish a certain amount of credibility in our operation and getting the ultimate

cooperation from the tenants. And that's the only way it's going to happen. Yes there are a number of tenants in 58 that I willing to put in the little time we're only talking about a couple of hours a week to work to make their building a better place. More than happy to go back and help them organize. We can't do it for them as tenants have got to want to help themselves. But if. They show an accompaniment out more than ready to come. Yes it helps set up a room. I've spoken to the people from the state housing and I've told them about the conditions. I do not feel that they should maintain and continue to give money to the city to the housing authority if it is going to be kept in such disrepair. I felt that they should put a freeze on the money that they're giving the city even though it isn't enough money and that's the argument we always have is not enough money but we've got to stop putting money into a housing complex that is just being used for some people's fat incomes. Meaning the employees etc. the

management that we have out there rather than into the needs of the people that work there live there. I'd be over the get together them and talk about this and do something about. REVENUE. It's like. Are you going to hang on here. I'm out of the way out. I think I've had it. I want to get out. Feel the need to close the building. And the solution to my problem may be to get out of here. Depressing. It's you know. I don't want my baby to cool.