Substandard living conditions have one elderly Harlem tenant pleading for help. NY1's Susan Jhun filed the following NY1 for You report.
Ninety-two-year-old Novella Littlejohn has been living without electricity and cooking gas.
"It’s ruining my life. I’m a nervous wreck," Littlejohn says.
The elderly tenant lost cooking gas after a gas leak in November and was forced to shut off her electricity a few weeks ago after a water leak in her bathroom light fixture created a fire hazard.
"We turned off the electricity because of the water. Because if the water hits the electricity, it could start a fire in here," says Doris Maloney, Littlejohn's niece.
Littlejohn's niece contacted us out of concern for her aunt, whose doctor wrote a note saying she needs gas and electricity because of a risk of malnutrition and falling in unlit areas.
When we met with Littlejohn, she told us building management would continually patch up the water leak, which has remained an ongoing problem for years. As far as the lack of cooking gas, Littlejohn said management hadn't given them any information as to when it would be turned back on.
"They kept saying someone will be by, someone will be by, and so far, no one has come by to do anything," Maloney says.
According to HPD, records show there are 35 open violations at the building, including 14 hazardous and 17 immediately hazardous violations.
NY1 for You contacted Sharp Building Management, and a spokesman told us they are working on the gas issue. He said pipes needed to be replaced before gas can be turned back on, and management hopes to do that within the next four to six weeks.
In regards to the leak in Littlejohn's bathroom, the spokesman claims management wasn't aware of it and would have it fixed. A few days later, the leak was fixed after management says it determined the source, and electricity was restored to Littlejohn's apartment.
"Happy! I don't like being in the dark," Littlejohn says.
NY1 for You will keep you updated on the building's gas outage.