Mattress-Stuy tenants say they’ve been dwelling with rodents and unlivable circumstances for years

09.12.2022, 03:30 amUpdated on 12/09/2022

Through: News 12 employees

Tenants of Bed-Stuy Rehab Houses are calling on the New York City Housing Authority to fix rodent and living conditions issues they’ve been dealing with for years.

Tenants at 671, 675 and 701 Willoughby Avenues are demanding NYCHA take action.

“The rats ate one man’s bird, bit the other man’s dog, and that’s becoming a problem,” said resident Bernadette Quick. “You hear the rats in the walls when you lie in your bed.”

Several tenants spoke to News 12 and shared similar horror stories about hearing, seeing and coming into contact with rodents in their homes at any time of the day.

They say the rats are able to enter their dwelling through holes left by unfinished repairs and deteriorating infrastructure. They even say that there are so many rats around the building that it’s difficult to walk the sidewalk in the area without coming across one.

NYCHA told News 12 in a statement that they had treated the Bed Stuy rehab homes for rats 86 times since June 2021, but that some of the patched units had been ambushed by rats, who chewed themselves back into them.

Tenants are concerned not only about their health and safety, but also about their success.

“If you pay your rent on time and do things to move up, maybe buy a house or something, but that’s not going to happen if you have to stay up all night, so you’re missing out on work, my goodness kids who miss school” said resident and father of three Jaymar Hoskins. “We pay for hotel rooms…I just spent $600 on hotel rooms because of rats.”

NYCHA did not elaborate on a long-term solution in its response to News 12.