81 Bowery Tenants Return Home; Still No Hot Water

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The previously evicted tenants of 81 Bowery were allowed back into their homes on June 23 after three months in exile. CAAAV announced as much during a brief press conference at the time. Since returning to the fourth floor, however, the embattled tenants have been dealing with a lack of hot water. In a statement yesterday, the community-based Chinatown organization said that it’s working closely with the landlord to “ensure that all of the necessary repairs are made and that all of the tenants’ needs are met.”

81 Bowery made headlines anew back in March, all thanks to CNN correspondent Poppy Harlow. Her out-of-left-field expose about the SRO prompted some random Arizonian to contact the FDNY. Firefighters broke down the doors and ordered the inhabitants, most of whom are Chinese immigrants, to leave the premises. It wasn’t the first time safety violations were cited at this address – residents were also exiled for nine months in 2008.