On the Campaign Trail April: Housing Issues 2

I’d like to continue this month’s dialogue about housing by taking a closer look at the New York City Housing Authority, as well as some of the things happening in our district’s local developments. Our work is far from over, but I believe that examining the progress that has been made helps us refocus our goals and reminds us of what we’re working towards in the first place: an affordable housing structure that gives developments the tools and resources they need to keep their tenants safe.   There is a never-ending stream of NYCHA-bashing in the media and among politicians. Though much of it is warranted, I think it’s important to remember a few things:

- It’s not going anywhere. NYCHA is the largest city housing authority in the US. It owns more than 330 developments, and houses over 400,000 people across all 5 boroughs.

- It’s perpetually short on cash. NYCHA receives the majority of its funding from the federal government; federal funding has been decreasing steadily for years while buildings deteriorate, applications rise and NYCHA’s capital needs grow.

- Its bureaucracy is broken. NYCHA’s bureaucracy is overly complicated, its transparency is limited, and its centralized budget structure keeps money from efficiently flowing to where it needs to go. The system needs to change. But we need to work with it, not against it, to affect such change.

Reforming NYCHA’s broken bureaucratic process is crucial to the health and safety of developments, and as your council member I would pledge to lobby for greater transparency, bureaucratic consolidation, and reforming the top-down budget structure.  

Thankfully, NYCHA has realized it needs to improve, and recently has begun to address its massive capital backlog. In January, NYCHA approved a long overdue $9.8 million investment in capital improvements for Whitman and Ingersoll houses, including addressing the backlog of repairs, bringing elevator service to every floor, ensuring every apartment has a kitchen, and upgrading the heat and electrical systems in every building. While this marks a good start, I will work to ensure that Whitman, Ingersoll and Farragut receive the security updates they need, namely cameras and an improved intercom system.  

NYCHA has put in motion plans to raise revenue by leasing city property to private developers, which will secure some much-needed capital pledged to addressing repairs and renovations. But they have already received complaints from tenants who feel excluded from the process, and worry that decisions from the top are often ignorant of on-the-ground concerns. I will make it my mission to ensure that residents participate in important decisions about their developments.

Best,  
Laurie