NEWBURGH – City of Newburgh resident Wilhemena Lamb hasn’t had a bath in her own apartment in three months. She hasn’t been to church in three weeks. She has no running water in her bathroom. She’s been managing to stay warm by boiling pots of bottled water on her stove and by keeping a space heater near her bed.
Lamb is one of hundreds of tenants at The Kenney Apartments in the City of Newburgh who have been without heat and hot water for a month or longer.
On a bitter cold New Year’s Day, City Councilwoman Tamika Stewart gathered with tenants at the apartment complex to demand that the Baum and Kenney Management Group restore heat and hot water to the residents of nearly 85 units, who have been living in the cold.
“People think that because you live in affordable housing or because you’re in low-income housing that they get to treat you like that,” said Stewart. “Everyone deserves basic human rights, heat and hot water. These are working class people, retired, working in our school districts, working in our hospitals, working for non-profits, working here in the community. These are working class people who have to worry about not having heat and hot water for months. Come on! Come on!”
Stewart says that Baum and Kenney, which has offices in Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, claims to be waiting on a replacement part for the main boiler, which is not working properly. Stewart says that part has been on order for months.
The management company has not returned any of the hundreds of phone calls made by tenants.
As a result, many are living in unsafe conditions, using space heaters and their ovens to keep warm.
Lamb, who has lived at The Kenney Apartments for over 27 years, says this has never happened before. She says she has stopped paying her rent in the hope that management will contact her.
“I can’t accept this anymore,” said Lamb. “This has been a prolonged situation, and some people are scared to open their mouths for fear of being thrown out of here, but I’m not afraid. We’re all just looking for respect.”
Stewart is imploring management to fix the boiler or to implement the temporary measures they have promised to take.
In the meantime, Stewart is asking the City of Newburgh to step in and fix what needs to be fixed and then bill the landlord.
“We cannot allow people to go another day in below freezing temperatures,” said Stewart.
She added that the management company has also failed to shovel sidewalks or spread salt at the complex in addition to allowing the garbage to pile up.
Baum and Kenney could not be reached for comment.
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