A group of Bed-Stuy tenants are asking for a court-appointed executive to replace their landlord, alleging they have been “effectively abandoned” to deal with issues of vermin infestations, persistent roof leaks, as well as inadequate heat and janitorial services, according to recent Housing Court filings.
Six of the nine tenants residing at 201 Pulaski St. are seeking to have the non-profit Food First Housing Development Fund Company, Inc replaced by the courts through the city’s 7A program, which appoints an administrator to take over ownership of a dangerous building to ensure repairs are made.
Attorneys at the Legal Aid Society, representing the tenants, filed an Article 7A lawsuit Wednesday in Brooklyn’s Housing Court, saying Food First has failed to complete any significant repairs or construction on any of the tenants’ homes, depriving them of basic services.
“Our clients and all tenants at 201 Pulaski have suffered years of dangerous living conditions as a result of Food First completely ignoring their duty as landlord to address the disrepair issues,” said Linda Holmes, staff attorney in the Housing Brooklyn Neighborhood Office at The Legal Aid Society. “Food First has made it clear that, left to their own devices, they will continue to neglect and mismanage this building, so the tenants have been left with no choice but to seek intervention from the court. We look forward to fighting on their behalf.”
The building’s owner, Food First HDFC INC, the company’s head officer, Alfred Thomas, and managing agent Valentia Gojcaj are named as defendants in the litigation. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development is also listed, as required by law.
Should the case be successful, an independent administrator would take over most of the responsibilities of the landlord, including rent collection and building repairs.
The April 17 lawsuit is the latest effort by the Pulaski Street tenants to get Food First to address serious issues in the building, which currently has 177 open violations from the HPD for issues ranging from roof leaks and mold to rodents and other safety hazards.
The first housing court lawsuit was filed on April 30, 2019 and sought repairs for several violations issued by the HPD, but Food First failed to make those repairs despite a court order to correct the outstanding HPD violations, and was found in contempt of court, according to the Legal Aid Society.
On May 1, 2023, tenants brought the second proceeding seeking repairs, the trial for which is still underway in that proceeding. The Legal Aid Society claim that during the pendency of this proceeding, building conditions have only worsened.
Food First did not respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment at the time of publication.
A hearing date in Brooklyn Housing Court has yet to be set.
