'Nightmare:' On coldest day of the winter, Skyline tenants are left without hot water

Larry Fuller is fed up talking about the "nightmare" he and his neighbors have endured over the past few years at the Skyline apartments in Syracuse. He said that he always pays rent on time, only to find that safety and security are never guaranteed.

This week, he and his neighbors are boiling water to wash their dishes. They're unable to shower. For five days, they've had no access to hot water.

"It's just not right," Fuller said, "we pay our rent. And part of the rent is hot water!"

According to Syracuse City Code Enforcement, they first heard about the issue on Monday. Code Enforcement Director Jake DiShaw said he got in touch with owners at Green National, and confirmed that they had contacted a plumber. By Thursday, the issue was not resolved, which DiShaw said was partly due to a missing part needed to fix the boiler.

The city took the step to declare the entire building "unfit" for human habitation, something that Syracuse local government hasn't done before. In the past, they've only declared common areas unfit; now, its all units.

"Personally, certainly there is [frustration], a lot of resources have gone into their [Green National] properties," DiShaw said. "We're here to serve the people of the City of Syracuse."

DiShaw said that they have exhausted their legal options, and have been able to influence improvements when it comes to maintenance and cleanliness of the hallways. This week's "unfit" declaration means that money coming from all rental assistance programs, like Section 8 and the Department of Social Services, stops. Dishaw said they won't lift the unfit declaration until hot water is restored to everyone, anticipating this will happen Saturday with the missing part being flown in overnight.

"It's groundhog day with these folks," Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said referring to Skyline owners Green National, "over and over again they continue to make promises that they continue to fail to live up to. Certainly, our hands are somewhat tied."

McMahon said that local government, from the city to the county, is doing everything possible to help tenants, but ultimately said a sale needs to happen and new ownership has to come in.

Over the past few years, the city has issued a nuisance abatement order to improve security, which tenants stay is still an issue under the control of a security company that employees have accused of fraud.

The State Attorney General has levied heavy financial penalties against Green National after the owners repeatedly failed to make improvements.

Sharon Sherman, the Executive Director of the Greater Syracuse Tenants Network, said that the city needs to consider taking the building into receivership. She simply doesn't have faith that a new owner will come in without the city taking the building by force.

"In the housing code is the ability for the city to put it in receivership. They have not used that tool in 20 years," Sherman said.

Fuller is demoralized — once again demanding help that he has no belief Green National can provide.

"I never thought I'd be living in such a nightmare as this."