"It's been in continuous disrepair and derelict circumstances. There were reported firearms, individuals walking out onto the street with assault rifles, drug paraphernalia that you can even find today, a lot of drug use."
I never expected to own a home. I wasn't born into generational wealth. I grew up poor. There was-and is-no big family inheritance coming my way. Not property. Not cash. Not stocks or bonds or whatever financial instrument one might trade or sell or leverage to join the landed class.
The Homekey project at 1237 San Antonio Road has been in the works since fall 2023, when city and state leaders touted its importance in addressing the local and regional housing crisis.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) needs an estimated $78 billion in capital repairs over the next 20 years across its more than 2,500 buildings, according to its 2023 Physical Needs Assessment. The hefty price tag-which increased by more than 70 percent since the previous assessment was conducted five years earlier, in 2017- "reflects deteriorating conditions of NYCHA's infrastructure following decades of federal disinvestment and significant price escalation in the construction sector over the last few years," housing authority officials said. Those costs include needed lead-based paint and asbestos abatement, upgrades to heating and hot water systems, plumbing, building facades and windows, and renovations to individual apartment interiors.