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Displaced tenants from 2910 Wallace Ave ask Bronx Community Board 11 to press elected officials
Summary
Tenants displaced by a Jan. 10 fire at 2910 Wallace Ave told Community Board 11 they remain unhoused nearly a year later; the board voted to send a follow-up letter to elected officials on the tenants’ behalf after tenant leaders supplied documentation and said Bronx Legal Aid is assisting.
Tenants displaced by a January 10 fire at 2910 Wallace Ave told Bronx Community Board 11 on Nov. 20 that many households remain scattered and without clear timelines to return. "We've been dealing with this now almost a year, and many of us are still displaced with nowhere to go," said tenant representative Yolanda Richardson, who said she has been staying with her mother since March.
Richardson said tenant organizers have compiled records of affected residents and use a WhatsApp group to coordinate; she also said Bronx Legal Aid has open cases attempting to keep buildings intact so residents can return. "We just want to come back home to our neighborhood," Richardson said.
Board members asked whether the tenant group had reached out to elected officials; staff from a city council office said they could assist if provided a designated point of contact. Several members pressed for the board to send a follow-up letter amplifying the tenants’ documentation and prior outreach.
Rabbi Fuchs moved that the board send a letter to political leaders on behalf of the tenants of 2910 Wallace Ave; Joseph Thompson seconded the motion. The motion was put to the board and recorded as passed.
The board discussed next steps for drafting the letter and offered to accept template language from tenant organizers to use as a basis. The tenant group requested clearer communication and faster rehousing options; the board directed staff to compile the documentation and send the follow-up correspondence.
The board did not adopt any binding obligation to rehouse tenants; the motion directs the board to communicate with elected officials and document previous outreach on behalf of the tenants. The tenant group said they will continue working with Bronx Legal Aid and share contact information with council offices for follow-up.
