Mar 19, 2026
Affordable housing might sound like a great resource for those who need it, but they only truly help if management ensures the space is safe for those who live in it.
Alicia Cardenas-Solano, the Tenants Association President of Tivoli Towers in Brooklyn, spoke to CBS News in late February as local investigative reporters covered the outcome of a years-long investigation into three of New York’s affordable housing complexes that have been plagued with unaddressed problems, including major health and safety issues (1).
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“It makes me angry, and I call and I have had meetings with them, but the issues are still the same. They have not improved” she shared.
Cardenas-Solano is only one of many residents who are fed up with mold, financial mismanagement and construction projects that have lasted years. The city’s investigation found that the buildings, which are privately managed but overseen by the city's Department of Housing and Preservation (HPD), have been operating at a financial loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
In spite of their requests, the private managers of the three buildings would not agree to be interviewed for the CBS investigation.
Whether you live in a private building or public affordable housing, it is important to know about your rights as a tenant. And as a citizen, there are also steps you can take to demand better transparency and accountability for the way public funds are spent, ensuring affordable housing remains safe for residents and financially sustainable for all taxpayers.
The risks of living in badly managed facilities
Residents reported to CBS that in addition to mold, they’re facing a number of issues like broken fire doors, broken smoke alarms, leaks and other problems that risk becoming dangerous.
In a statement, a Nelson Management spokesperson denied that the city’s report, the result of six years of investigation, was up-to-date.
“Actual onsite inspection of the property took place nearly 16 months ago and does not accurately reflect current building conditions, with many of the report's findings factually inaccurate,” the statement read (1).
The spokesperson further alleged that the issues with the building predate their involvement.
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“At the time it was acquired at the beginning of 2022, Evergreen Gardens had fallen into ill repair due to decades of mismanagement, disinvestment and neglect by the prior owners. It was overrun by drug dealers, had no security to speak of, permitted non-residents to enter at will and required extensive physical repairs and upgrades.”
The spokesperson went on to say that they have invested more than $6.5 million in capital improvements.
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Tenants’ right to safe living conditions
The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that every state in the U.S. is undersupplied with affordable housing (2). Many of the buildings are also old and in a bad state of repair according to research from the Urban Institute. Their 2019 analysis found that 42% of public housing properties were built before 1975. As of 2010, a HUD-sponsored assessment found that these properties had $21 billion worth of needed maintenance and repairs, and 8% of properties failed annual maintenance inspections (3).
As public housing is only available to those living at or under the poverty line, residents in these buildings have few options for finding better living conditions. Housing that is unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise poor quality leads to health and safety risks.
However, they have the same rights to safe living conditions as those in private rental buildings. These include ensuring health and sanitary issues like water leaks, pests, poor air quality, mold, asbestos and lead are all resolved in a timely manner in accordance with the law.
Tenants also have the right to housing that is accessible for special needs, and the right to organize if management is not acting in accordance with the law (4). No matter their living arrangement, renters should be sure they understand their rights, and document any issues that go unresolved in their unit or common areas of the building. Local and state tenant advocacy groups can also provide support and resources to renters who are facing these issues.
Public accountability
As affordable housing in New York is funded by taxpayer dollars, the proper upkeep of these buildings is a public issue that impacts all New Yorkers. While Clinton Towers Tenants Association President Mary Somoza says, “I am very optimistic and very hopeful that this new mayor, he will do something about these situations,” referring to newly-elected mayor Zohran Mamdani (1), New Yorkers can call on public officials at all levels to address issues with housing quality, affordability and availability.
At the federal level, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan initiative focused on both increasing housing supply and affordability, includes many measures to strengthen government oversight and improve HUD-subsidized housing (5). This Act, which has passed the house of representatives and is before the senate, also aims to improve conditions for Americans hoping to get on the property ladder (6). Voicing your support for the Act to your senator can help to ensure it becomes the law.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
CBS News (1); National Low Income Housing Coalition (2); Urban Institute (3); The Network for Public Health Law (4); U.S. Senate (5); National Association of Realtors (6)
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Rebecca Holland is dedicated to creating clear, accessible advice for readers navigating the complexities of money management, investing and financial planning. Her work has been featured in respected publications including the Financial Post, The Globe & Mail, and the Edmonton Journal.
