The city’s 311 operators would be required to field complaints about the New York City Housing Authority under a raft of new bills unveiled Monday by state legislators.
Currently, 311 operators don’t handle NYCHA complaints, instead referring callers directly to the authority.
“I have tenants that come into my office constantly saying they contacted NYCHA, they put in the complaint and they wait months and months, sometimes years, to get basic repairs done,” said state Sen. Jeff Klein, who introduced the 311 bill and who heads the Independent Democratic Conference.
“The 311 system — the beauty of that system — everything is documented,” he added.
Klein announced the proposal as part of a report the IDC released comparing lead-paint problems at NYCHA to the crisis with Flint, Mich.’s water supply.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett called the comparison to Flint “alarmist.”
“These officials are playing politics with public health,” she said. “Comparing New York — a national success story in reducing lead exposure — to Flint is alarmist and wrong.”