NYCHA Prioritized Fun Over Protecting Children

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has been under fire for nearly a year for failing to properly protect the children of New York from exposure to lead paint and lead pipes in older apartments. Despite being trusted with enforcement of important policies regarding lead exposure, the NYCHA was consistently derelict in its duties, leaving thousands of housing units uninspected and un-remediated. Now, the reason for this dereliction has become clearer.

NYCHA employees are accused of transforming a Bronx building into a private club for staff and their friends. The full details of the activities engaged in is particularly lascivious, but the most important part of the news is that the club was in use during what should have been work hours, including some employees charging the city for overtime as they cavorted.

Any time public funds are misused in this way it is appalling, but this is particularly egregious considering these same employees were violating the public trust by failing to protect the children of New York. The full number of children affected by exposure to lead paint and pipes is still unknown, as the city struggles to determine just how many untested apartments were in violation of policy.

Exposure to lead paint or water from lead pipes is associated with a variety of health problems. Some of these, such as digestive problems, become evident quickly. Others, such as cognitive impairment, can take years to manifest.

If your child may have suffered due to lead exposure, determining the full extent of the damage done may be difficult. It may take months of visits to doctors and years of specialized therapy to ameliorate the suffering, if this is even possible. Please, consider speaking with an experienced attorney regarding your case, and hold negligent parties accountable for their actions.