Praise for Riis Houses Caretaker

Tammy Daniels certainly knows good customer service when she sees it – she’s a customer service supervisor in NYCHA’s Human Resources Department. She’s also a lifelong resident of Riis Houses in Manhattan who was in need of some assistance during Winter Storm Toby, one of the many Nor’easters to bring snow and icy conditions to the city this past March.

“Due to my disabilities, I have an issue walking distances,” Ms. Daniels said, and the snow accumulations made it challenging for her to get home. “While I was resting my legs, I noticed the development workers clearing snow with their John Deere and Bobcat plows, doing a fantastic job. I didn’t want to ask them to stop to clear the pathway in front of me. What I didn’t realize was that Mr. Roberto Clemente was observing my difficulties. He came over and said, ‘Excuse me, miss, do you need me to plow here so you can get through?’” After making it back to her apartment, Ms. Daniels reflected on how she was so thankful and touched that Mr. Clemente stopped what he was doing to help her. “Way to go Roberto Clemente!” she thought.

Mr. Clemente, a Fulton Houses resident, got his job as a caretaker at Riis Houses a year ago through the NYCHA Resident Training Academy. He said he feels “humbled” by Ms. Daniels’ commendation, because “It’s our job and duty to provide our services to residents daily – this was just a day I was most appreciated. Teamwork makes the dream work, and I love my team here at Riis Houses!”

Shawn Collymore, Supervising Housing Groundskeeper at Riis Houses, said that he wasn’t surprised Mr. Clemente’s commitment was noticed. “He always comes to work with a positive attitude and is destined for great things at the Authority. Here at Riis Houses we value our tenants; our goal is simple – to provide service with professionalism – and he did an outstanding job at that.”