NYCHA: Beyond Hope

City public-housing residents won’t be safe until a federal monitor wrests control of NYCHA from Team de Blasio. That was prosecutors’ alarming assertion in a court filing last week complaining that, despite its promises in a June consent decree, the New York City Housing Authority has continued to expose residents to lead dust during renovations.

On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio vowed to address any “speed bump” causing the problem. But who can believe him?

“The need for the monitor is underscored by NYCHA’s conduct since it executed the decree,” read the filing from US Attorney Geoffrey Berman. Absent oversight from a monitor, “NYCHA will continue to violate the law and put residents at risk.”

Specifically, the June deal includes rules to protect residents while lead paint is removed. But NYCHA admits it has been breaking those rules, whining that it won’t have enough trained workers to comply until next year.

Worse, when prosecutors, troubled by that claim, sought to discuss it, “NYCHA refused to schedule a meeting” and failed “to respond substantively,” the feds charge. Only last week did officials agree to comply with the rules sooner.

No wonder the prosecutors describe the agency’s approach to major health issues as “dysfunctional” and claim it doesn’t move on key issues until pressured. No wonder they told Judge William Pauley, who’s overseeing the case, that getting a monitor in place is more urgent now than ever.

“NYCHA cannot be allowed to continue to put its children at risk,” they insisted, pushing Pauley to OK the consent decree, which calls for the monitor.

But the judge was right a few weeks ago when he asked if NYCHA can be fixed. Never mind its backlog of $32 billion in repairs; if it can’t abide by rules it agreed to just three months ago, what hope is there?

Nor will new vows by de Blasio, or even new management under him, suffice; he picks top brass and sets the tone, after all — and he plainly just doesn’t care enough.