Families left homeless by Bronx fire say time is running out on their temporary housing
WILLIAMSBRIDGE, The Bronx (WABC) -- Families displaced by a fire that tore through an apartment building in the Bronx nearly two weeks ago say they are running out of options for housing, and could end up in homeless shelters by the weekend.
Whipped up by wind, the inferno raced across the common roof of the apartment building located in the Allerton section of the Bronx on the morning of Jan. 10.
It took 12 hours to bring it under control, and when it was over, more than 250 people had no place to live.
"I came outside. I was like 'oh my god, I'm going to lose everything.' And I did. Every single thing," said fire victim Jenny Ithier.
Ithier is a paralegal with 7-year-old twins.
Another displaced resident, Kelly Rolon, works at a hospital.
"You're homeless. You lose whatever valuables that you think and then you're stuck here and nobody's helping you," Rolon said.
"Migrants, they get set up in a nice hotel downtown for months since they've gotten here," Ithier said. "Us, they can't wait to get us out this door. I don't understand the problem here."
After almost two weeks, time now is running out for many families staying in a hotel near Pelham Parkway.
The Red Cross placed them there as temporary shelter and has extended their stay until this Friday, but the city has told the families that their next stop could be a homeless shelter.
"And they're very prideful. This is a very humbling experience for all of them," said local activist and minister Irene Estrada.
Estrada says she's been lobbying elected officials to help, but the city's Office of Housing Preservation and Development told Eyewitness News there's nothing it can do.
"Typically tenants are provided at most five days in a Red Cross hotel after a fire, due to the gravity of this situation, we provided a two-week stay as an exception, extending it originally to the 21st," the Department of Housing Preservation and Development said in a statement. "We provided an additional extension, tenants who registered for HPD Emergency Housing could stay in the hotel until today, tenants who declined HPD emergency housing were granted an additional two-day extension until 1/24."
Estrada says there's no money to pay for more hotel rooms, and apparently, no vouchers for housing elsewhere -- just city shelter.
Amy Beltre's mother was told she's bound for a city shelter, which could be anywhere.
"She has medical needs. We asked, what if can she be placed in the Bronx? They said no, she could end up on Staten Island," Beltre said.
Ithier is also worried about what a Staten Island placement could mean for her.
"My kids go to school in the Bronx," she said. "So, I'm going to bring them from Staten Island to the Bronx every morning and then go to work in Manhattan? How does this work? Do you want us to remain in the system?"
Through a spokesperson, Landlord Parkash Management claimed to have placed tenants at other buildings in its portfolio, but apparently, not these tenants -- hard working people living paycheck to paycheck, one setback away from literal homelessness.
"As providers of affordable housing in some of the most underserved communities in The Bronx, we are committed to meeting the needs of our tenants," Landlord Parkash Management said in a statement. "We have been working with Wallace Ave. families who have asked to transfer to apartments at other properties we own in the borough. We are doing our best to accommodate these requests and have placed families in other buildings in our portfolio."
Meanwhile, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson says she is working on finding more permanent housing for the impacted families.
"Our office has been in contact with many of the affected residents, and we are actively collaborating with our colleagues in government to advocate for and facilitate permanent housing placements for those in need," Gibson said in a statement.
Firefighters are blaming the disaster on faulty wiring. Right now, the building is a construction site, as work begins to get it habitable again.
It's not clear how long that will take, but for the families who need roofs over their heads right now, it will take far too long.
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