Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn – House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) announced he secured $1.85 million for fire alarm upgrades at NYCHA’s Marcy Houses and Tompkins Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, through the government funding law. The federal funds will be used to upgrade fire detection system components at both developments. 

“For decades, the federal government has gotten out of the business of supporting public housing in New York City and throughout the nation. And as a result of that fact, there are a whole host of infrastructure repairs, capital improvements and modernization projects that have lacked the resources in order to improve the quality of life of residents,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08). “I’m proud that we were able to fight hard and secure $1 million in support of fire safety improvements here at Marcy, and an additional $850,000 to secure fire safety improvements at Tompkins, and together be able to overhaul completely the fire safety infrastructure for thousands of families in these two incredibly important developments.”

“As somebody who grew up in NYCHA and now has the responsibility and the privilege of representing over 17 NYCHA developments, I always want to thank my partner in the federal government, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, for not thinking it robbery and understanding the importance of safety in our community, but also working in partnership with those on the ground who know what the needs are,” said Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman (AD 56). 

“NYCHA’s mission is to provide safe, affordable housing to public housing residents, and enough can’t be said about the importance of fire safety,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “I, on behalf of NYCHA, would like to express my sincere gratitude to House Democratic Leader Jeffries for his work in securing this valuable funding that will be put toward upgrading critical fire detection systems for residents at both Marcy and Tompkins Houses.”

“I want to thank Hakeem Jeffries for all the help that he has given to all the NYCHA developments, especially Marcy Houses and Tompkins,” said Marcy Houses TA President Naomi Colon. “We are in dire need of services, for the safety and the welfare of the residents here, because a lot of fires are incurred here.”

“I would like to thank my NYCHA staff and also Hakeem Jeffries for the funds they have allocated for Tompkins and for Marcy,” said Tompkins Houses TA President Gloria Johnson. “It’s very important that we have that for the safety of the residents that’s within our development, which will help save lives.”

NYCHA is the largest public housing authority in the country, and approximately 1 in 17 New Yorkers is a NYCHA resident. The Marcy Houses fire alarm upgrade project received $1,000,000, while Tompkins Houses was awarded $850,000.