Two infant girls were burnt to death in a South Bronx, New York apartment building used to temporarily house homeless families Wednesday when a radiator exploded. An investigation by Fire Department officials revealed unsafe conditions, prompting further scrutiny into the already controversial cluster site housing program run by New York City’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS).
The two victims, Ibanez Ambrose, 2 and Scylee Vayoh Ambrose, 1, and their parents, were placed in the South Bronx building by DHS.
The building’s landlord, Moshe Piller was already number 4 on the city’s Worst Landlord List released by Public Advocate, Letitia James in 2015. He had 1,263 violations and 163 complaints against him.
The director of litigation for Legal Services NYC, Ed Josephson, who represents the plaintiffs in two lawsuits against Piller, gave his opinion of the repudiated slumlord:
“He’s certainly been in the real estate business for decades and his reputation for decades is that he maintains his buildings poorly and tries to extract as much money as possible.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to end the failing cluster site housing program last year. However, the city has continued to house the homeless in these poorly maintained and often unsafe apartment buildings.
Not only is this program legal, it is funded by $125 million in taxpayer money. That’s right folks. Moshe Piller and others like him are getting rich off your hard earned money.
Public Advocate Letitia James weighed in:
“No funds should be provided to landlords to house homeless families unless full floor-to-ceiling, building-wide inspections are conducted and reveal no hazardous conditions. These inspections must be ongoing and the results made publicly accessible.”
The list James’ office produced of these landlords was “publicly accessible.” So how in the Hell could the DHS in their infinite wisdom not have the time to look at it before placing already vulnerable people into these housing units?
What’s even more infuriating is that many New Yorkers are one missed paycheck or one unpaid bill away from homelessness, and agencies like the DHS are supposed to work as a safety net for people in poverty.
Clearly, they are failing at helping the city’s most vulnerable.
The DHS and Mayor de Blasio are to blame as much as Moshe Piller. I for one am tired of the NYC’s failure to value the lives of homeless people, especially since my tax dollars fund this program that demonstrates said failure.
Because #homelesslivesmatter.
Watch this clip for more information about the fire that killed two beautiful girls the city was supposed to be helping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EP4UlN8Vk0
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
