A senior citizen was found dead in her apartment in February, as the city emerged from a dangerous cold snap. In response, her neighbors in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing are once again calling attention to long-standing issues with heating and faulty boilers.
This year’s unexpected frigid weather saw more than a dozen New Yorkers living outside lose their lives as a result of hypothermia. Unfortunately, inadequate heat during the usual winter months, let alone severe cold fronts, is only one of the major issues affecting public housing developments throughout the city.
“Public housing is a precious resource that must be cared for and invested in so that it will last not just for our lifetime but in perpetuity,” said State Sen. Cordell Cleare in a statement. “I am heartbroken to hear of the multiple breakdowns in basic habitability at UPACA 6, and I call for immediate intervention and swift remediation by NYCHA and all involved private management. Housing is a human right, and the residents of UPACA 6 deserve far better than this!”
Leslie Zellars, 83, was a resident of UPACA 6, a senior NYCHA building located in East Harlem. She was found dead in her apartment early last month under a mound of blankets on the floor, discovered by her neighbor during a wellness check. Zellars’ technical cause of death was heart disease, which can be exacerbated by cold conditions for the elderly.
“It didn’t have to happen. She needed help,” said Maria Pacheco, 85, UPACA 6 Tenant Association (TA) President.
Pacheco said that the problem with UPACA 6 heat has been ongoing for years. The building was converted from public housing to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)/Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program last December and is now managed by C&C Apartment Management. Since the transition, the promised repairs have been slow despite repeated complaints about the building’s aging boiler. In the past, the residents had to fight for improvements to be made to the building, like 24/7 security and access to the lobby to sit and socialize.
“I was enraged at the way she died. Not her death because she lived to be 83 years young, which is a blessing. But the way she died hurts so much. It almost reminds me of a dog that was thrown away,” said Byron Reid, Zellars’ nephew. Neighbors said that Reid would often visit with his aunt in the lobby of her building. “I was told that she was found covered with four to five blankets trying to get warm.”
In 2024, Councilmember Yusef Salaam met with NYCHA leadership to install temporary portable boilers at UPACA 6, but residents said the heat is still lacking.
Two weeks before Zellars’ death, a pipe burst on the 10th floor, flooding apartments throughout the building, including the unit directly above where she lived. The leak went all the way down to the lobby before it was repaired by management. “They’re working on it, and I give them credit, but we’re suffering in the meantime while we’re waiting,” said Pacheco.
Community Voices Heard (CVH) Executive Director Juanita Lewis said that the real issue is inadequate funding and political will for public housing. The total adoptive budget (fiscal year 2025-2026) was $13.2 billion, with an operating budget of $5.3 billion and a capital budget of $7.8 billion.
So far, the city and federal government have kicked in their share this year, but the state hasn’t contributed, said Lewis, compounding a projected deficit of $217 million.
“They keep passing the buck,” said Lewis, “So New York State will say the feds need to give more money. Then the city will say the state needs to give. … It is hard to get all the senators and representatives to agree that public housing should be funded. So the little bit of money that we do get for public housing, that’s what we can get because the will is not there. But public housing is the last piece of affordable housing that we have in this country. And New York City has the largest amount of it.”
Lewis is adamant that at least $42 billion within the next year, with $60 billion in the next five years, should be dedicated to renovating and repairing NYCHA developments. This includes money for roofing, elevators, mold remediation, pest control, heating and cooling, and leaks.
She believes that, should Mayor Zohran Mamdani succeed in his ‘tax the rich’ initiative, a portion should absolutely go towards fixing public housing.
“If we keep pushing Senator [Chuck] Schumer, Senator [Kirsten] Gillibrand, and our congressional representatives, to keep NYCHA at the forefront, and then of course, in our advocacy around money for public housing if we actually taxed the wealthy, we could actually get some of this money that we need to make sure our folks in public housing get the repairs needed,” said Lewis.
In a statement to the AmNews, NYCHA said that it did its due diligence to ensure heat was provided for tenants.
“UPACA 6 is a PACT development, under private management since December 2025,” the statement said. “Upon conversion, the PACT partner team installed a temporary boiler that has been functioning properly and providing residents with consistent heat. Prior to PACT conversion and following a 2024 meeting with tenants, NYCHA went to each apartment and performed inspections on all heating equipment, sealed all windows, and maintained regular communication with tenant leadership about heat service. The permanent solution is meaningful investment in UPACA 6, which is being achieved through PACT conversion.”
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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a statement from NYCHA.