Newburgh Tenants Demand Action After Months of Apartment Neglect

City officials, lawmakers and nearly 100 tenants gather Wednesday night at the Activity Center in Newburgh for a town hall dominated by accounts of persistent and dangerous housing conditions at the Kenney Apartments. Residents described chronic problems including black mold, mice infestation, faulty wiring, broken appliances, missing smoke detectors, flooding and raw sewage that they say have gone unresolved for months.

Many tenants recounted health and safety threats in personal detail. Kim Foster, who works as a direct support person at The Arc of Greater Hudson Valley and has lived at the Kenney Apartments since 2021, said, “I’ve been without a refrigerator for three months. I’m a diabetic, so I have to keep my medication outside in a garbage can to keep it chilled. My floors are crumbling. I have to cover the holes with carpet and tell people to be careful where they walk.” Yakita Williams, a recreational therapist and single mother, described long periods without consistent heat: “I’m a single mother of two boys, one of whom has asthma. Getting up every morning and boiling water has caused a lot of stress. Using space heaters has made our electric bills go through the roof. We’ve made so many calls, and nothing is being done.”

City officials urged tenants to document and report issues while defending their enforcement actions. Newburgh Code Compliance Supervisor Quanetta Inman told residents they must call the department to report problems and said that “every violation documented since September has been sent to court.” She told the crowd, “You must tell us if there is a problem,” and added, “There is help for you if your unit is condemned.” Those comments met visible frustration from tenants who say they have repeatedly contacted the city.

Officials outlined immediate next steps. Newburgh City Manager Todd Venning, who announced earlier this week he will step down in three months, said there is a potential buyer for the property, which is being sold by Baum and Kenney Management Group. Venning said city staff will tour the apartments on Thursday, document violations, send additional cases to court and take whatever emergency actions are needed to assist residents. Inman also reported that the complex’s 120 units should be heated by two boilers but that only one is currently working and that unit has leaking pipes.

Deputy City Manager Mike Neppl characterized the pattern of conditions as neglect and promised rigorous enforcement, saying the city will pursue accountability and, if warranted, criminal charges: “The city is going to do everything we can to ensure that these folks are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. If, in our investigation, we develop info that leads to criminal charges, we will pursue criminal charges. No one is going to come into our city and treat our residents in this way. We value and demand quality housing for every single resident and, no matter who it is, we are going to hold them accountable.” State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson added that “The City of Newburgh has to enforce the building code to the fullest extent.”

City Councilwoman Tamika Stewart urged tenants to withhold rent and to track electricity bills until they receive legal guidance, and said they will form a tenant association. Lawyers from Legal Services of the Hudson Valley attended the meeting and offered help for future legal action. For residents, the meeting underscores immediate health risks, potential financial exposure from emergency repairs and utility bills, and the prospect of coordinated legal and civic responses as the city moves to enforce violations and press for a resolution.