NYCHA tenants face nightmare getting packages delivered

Local pol wants USPS parcel boxes in public housing

Tenants living in New York City Housing Authority buildings face major hurdles getting packages delivered to them and it’s not the fault of the United States Postal Service, according to U.S. Rep. Max Rose.

Tenants expecting deliveries often make the trek to their local post office to pick up packages rather than take the chance of missing the delivery, said Rose, a Democrat who represents several neighborhoods in Southwest Brooklyn and the entire borough of Staten Island.

The trip to the post office is particularly hard on senior citizens and the disabled, he said.

There is a possible solution that could save tenants the trip, but shockingly, NYCHA officials are standing in the way, Rose charged.

USPS made an offer to NYCHA officials to install parcel delivery boxes in public housing complexes to make life easier for tenants. The boxes would be installed and maintained free of charge, USPS representatives told Rose.

The offer was reiterated during a roundtable discussion Rose held with USPS officials, community board leaders and elected officials to talk about various postal problems two weeks ago.

Rose said he doesn’t understand why NYCHA wouldn’t jump at the offer.

“We’ve heard clearly and repeatedly from NYCHA residents that receiving packages is an absolute nightmare. We all depend on packages for everyday items and necessities, from medications to household goods, but due to a lack of safe delivery options at NYCHA complexes, far too often residents are forced to trek out to the post office to receive their packages. So to hear that the USPS offered to rectify this situation at no cost to NYCHA yet was completely ignored is truly mind boggling,” Rose said in a statement

A tenant at the Marlboro Houses in Gravesend said the idea of a parcel box in her lobby sounds good to her.

“I don’t like having to go to the post office every time I get a package, especially if it’s heavy,” the tenant told the Home Reporter.

To get his point across, Rose fired off a letter to Kathryn Garcia, interim chairperson and CEO of NYCHA, urging her to move fast. State Senators Diane Savino and Andrew Lanza, Assemblymembers Michael Cusick and William Colton and Councilmembers Mark Treyger, Deborah Rose and Steven Matteo all signed the June 12 letter.

“We understand your agency is operating under a significant funding shortfall and are therefore shocked you would not aggressively pursue a free avenue to improve the quality-of-life for your tenants,” the letter read in part.

Michael Giardina, deputy press secretary for NYCHA, said the housing authority is working on the problem.

“We have received the letter. NYCHA is working with the Brooklyn and Staten Island elected officials to find a solution for our residents,” Giardina told the Home Reporter in an email.