Tenants at the Nostrand Houses say they’re fed up with requests for repairs that languish or go unanswered altogether.

For Ceneth Blugh, her main problem is her stove.

“I’ve been asking for appliances for a long time and I haven’t received none and my stove right now is going tick tick tick, so I’m scared of that ticking,” Blugh said. “I don’t want the stove to explode.”

What You Need To Know

  • Residents of the Nostrand Houses get to vote to opt into the program, called the Public Housing Preservation Trust, which allows NYCHA to access funding it would otherwise be unable to get

  • NYCHA's backlog of repair work totals $78 billion

  • Nostrand Houses residents get to vote on joining the program Nov. 8

Blugh and other residents sat in a playground Tuesday to hear Mayor Eric Adams and housing officials pitch a way to fund renovations of apartments and buildings, repair jobs and new appliances.

The residents have to vote to opt into the program, called the Public Housing Preservation Trust. It allows NYCHA to access funding it would otherwise be unable to get.

“This historic vote will offer residents an opportunity to opt in to the public housing preservation trust, unlocking billions of dollars for the comprehensive renovation of thousand of NYCHA residents,” Adams said.

He also told residents they’d be protected.

“No one is displacing you, no one is throwing you out - permanently affordable housing,” he said.

Residents get to vote on whether to join the trust or a program that puts management into the hands of a private or nonprofit entity. They can also vote to keep things the way they are.

Barbara McFadden, a tenant leader and member of the trust’s board, laid out a vision of what apartments could look like under the program.

“I’m tired of these old cabinets. I am tired of the bugs, the old tiles,” she said. “I need that granite top of the kitchen, i want them stainless steel stoves.

But it was a tough sell to resident Luz Clavell.

“They’re not going to do it,” she said. “I don’t trust them.”

Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, a Brooklyn Democrat, tried to address her concerns, understanding there’s skepticism among some residents.

“People think, oh they’re gonna have to move - it’s not gonna happen, you’re going to be able to have renovations to your apartment, kitchens, people have been talking about stoves and all the kitchen appliances need to be fixed, there’s going to be repairs to the building,” Weinstein told Clavell.

The Nostrand Houses will be the first NYCHA development to vote on joining the trust. The vote is scheduled for Nov. 8.