NEWBURGH – Discouraged residents of the Kenney Apartments in the City of Newburgh had their voices heard last Wednesday night.
City officials and local lawmakers hosted a town hall meeting at the Activity Center where nearly 100 tenants shared their stories of despair and frustration.
Many described in jaw-dropping detail their deplorable living conditions that resemble more of a third world country than a city just 70 miles north of New York City.
Residents have been complaining since the fall about the inconsistent and complete lack of heat and hot water in the development – but the town hall meeting revealed much, much more.
Kim Foster works as a direct support person at The Arc of Greater Hudson Valley and has lived at the Kenney Apartments since 2021.
“I’ve been without a refrigerator for three months,” said Foster. “I’m a diabetic, so I have to keep my medication outside in a garbage can to keep it chilled. My floors are crumbling. I have to cover the holes with carpet and tell people to be careful where they walk.”
Resident upon resident exposed other atrocities, such as black mold, mice infestation, faulty wiring, broken appliances, missing smoke detectors, flooding and raw sewage.
Yakita Williams is a recreational therapist who has lived at the Kenney Apartments for four years and most of that time without consistent heat.
“I’m a single mother of two boys, one of whom has asthma. Getting up every morning and boiling water has caused a lot of stress. Using space heaters has made our electric bills go through the roof,” said Williams. “We’ve made so many calls, and nothing is being done.”
Newburgh Code Compliance Supervisor Quanetta Inman said residents need to call the department to let them know about their poor living conditions. Tempers flared as many residents claim they have done just that all along.
Inman responded that every violation documented since September has been sent to court.
“You must tell us if there is a problem,” said Inman. “There is help for you if your unit is condemned.”
Inman said that the 120 units of The Kenney Apartments should be heated by two boilers. Only one boiler is currently working, and it has leaks in its pipes, which has caused additional problems as recently as Wednesday morning.
Newburgh City Manager Todd Venning, announced there is a potential buyer for the property.
The apartments are currently being sold by Baum and Kenney Management Group, which has been unresponsive to phone calls and tenants’ appeals for help.
In the meantime, Venning said they will tour the apartments on Thursday, document issues, send violations to court and then take whatever emergency actions that need to be taken to help residents.
Deputy City Manager Mike Neppl says the meeting showed a clear pattern of neglect on behalf of a corporate slumlord.
“The city is going to do everything we can to ensure that these folks are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. If, in our investigation, we develop info that leads to criminal charges, we will pursue criminal charges,” said Neppl. “No one is going to come into our city and treat our residents in this way. We value and demand quality housing for every single resident and, no matter who it is, we are going to hold them accountable.”
“The City of Newburgh has to enforce the building code to the fullest extent,” said State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson, himself a Newburgh resident.
Newburgh City Councilwoman Tamika Stewart advised residents to withhold their rent and keep track of electricity bills until attorneys advise them on how to move forward.
Lawyers from Legal Services of the Hudson Valley attended the meeting and offered help to tenants for future legal action.
Stewart said that they’ll be forming a tenant association to help rectify or prevent future problems of this kind.
Monday Council Meeting
Resident after resident of the Bourne and Kenny apartments told the Newburgh City Council Monday night that they continue to be without heat and hot water forcing them to live in untenable conditions for themselves and their families. Tenants demanded action now and city officials said they are working as fast as they can, given that the complexes are privately owned and they must follow procedures.
City Manager Todd Venning said they have made contact with the landlord company, which is making repairs with a deadline of Friday. If the work is not completed by the weekend, the city can go through a procedure to declare a state of emergency and fix the repairs.
“We’re going to go back Friday; we will know Monday and will be able to go forward. Then we will have to find the money because we are talking about $350,000,” he said.
City Councilman Omari Shakur said the problems in those apartments have been ongoing for six years and he thinks someone responsible should be arrested.
