Press Release

CSS Report: NYCHA Residents Sharply Divided Over Authority’s Plans to Generate Funds Needed to Address $40 Billion Capital Backlog

In the ongoing debate over the future of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), dissatisfied public housing residents have packed heated hearings to complain about substandard living conditions and the authority’s preservation proposals that are being foisted on them, without their involvement or consent. But during this period of enormous institutional change for public housing in the city, there has been no systematic effort until now to obtain resident views and experiences on proposed preservation strategies.

A new report by the Community Service Society (CSS) – NYCHA In Flux: Public Housing Residents Respond -- attempts to give voice to the concerns of public housing residents about the present and future of NYCHA. The study draws on findings from a random survey of 285 grassroots public housing residents, part of CSS’s annual Unheard Third poll which was conducted in 2019 before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. *

After decades of government disinvestment in NYCHA public housing, its residents have long struggled with deplorable housing conditions that have now rendered them particularly vulnerable to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Beginning in late 2017, NYCHA and its residents have been going through an unprecedented period of turbulence and institutional change: a federal monitor appointed to oversee NYCHA management; a new permanent chair after the resignation of the last mayoral appointee and a succession of temporary chairs; and a controversial new NYCHA Plan 2.0 to generate desperately needed capital by building primarily market-rate housing at selected developments and transferring 62,000 units—over a third of the public housing inventory—to management under public-private partnerships.

Strapped for funds even before the pandemic struck – facing a $40 billion capital backlog over the next decade – NYCHA must now deal with demands for increased investment in the health and safety of residents and staff.

Where do Residents Stand on Key NYCHA Preservation Plans?

The CSS report found that NYCHA residents are sharply divided on the authority’s two major proposals to generate needed capital for major repairs. For example, a majority of residents (57 percent) oppose mixed-income Infill housing construction and nearly half (44 percent) oppose conversion to public-private ownership.  But a significant number—43 percent and 56 percent respectively—favor these initiatives. Among those opposed the main concern is accelerating gentrification that could displace them from their homes.

The findings suggest that more collaborative, inclusive planning—with resident and community stakeholders—is needed if NYCHA is to avoid current stalemates and move forward with effective preservation strategies. 

“With nearly half a million low-income residents, nearly all of whom are black or brown and suffer in deplorable living conditions, NYCHA is one of the most glaring examples of sustained unequal treatment,” said David R. Jones, CSS President and CEO. “The fate of NYCHA and its residents are inextricably linked. Survival will depend on their ability to work together toward common ends – restoring and sustaining public housing over the foreseeable future.”

“Given the divided resident support for key NYCHA initiatives, conditions are ripe for mobilized, vocal opposition and stalled plans. The authority must find a way to plan with residents and stakeholders from the start in order to build broad consensus around community-generated preservation strategies,” said Victor Bach, CSS Senior Housing Analyst and lead author of the report. He cites the Chelsea Working Group as a precedent-setting example, emerging from the controversy over NYCHA’s plan for Fulton Houses. The group convened in November 2019 but was paused in March 2020 due to the pandemic crisis.

Other findings from the report include:

  • As of late 2019, NYCHA living conditions continued to worsen, despite city reinvestment and stepped-up authority attempts to carry out repairs.  Accelerating deterioration still outpaced city efforts.
  • Resident assessments of NYCHA property management operations varied from poor to excellent. But over half of residents were critical of management for not responding to repair needs and for the poor quality of work done by outside contractors.
  • Most residents were aware of the existence of a resident association in their developments. But a quarter confirmed there was no such association and a sixth did not know whether an association existed.

Major Conclusions and Recommendations:

To date, government capital commitments have been marginal to the need. Increased commitments—by all levels of government—will be needed for NYCHA to stem deterioration and address its $40 billion capital backlog over the next decade.

For the past five years, NYCHA has had to compete for financial resources with the de Blasio Administration’s signature Housing NY Plan, which focuses on privately-owned affordable housing. The city must commit to a unified housing plan that provides an equitable allocation of resources to NYCHA preservation.

Resident and community opposition have so far stalled NYCHA’s mixed-income Infill construction program and posed obstacles to PACT/RAD conversion plans, as in the case of Fulton Houses. In the future NYCHA must work more collaboratively with residents and community stakeholders, from the start, to develop and build consensus around a community-generated preservation plan.

NYCHA should support independent capacity-building and technical assistance resources for residents, possibly through allocation of a portion of HUD’s annual Tenant Participation Activity funds. This is a necessary step for effective resident participation in the preservation process.

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 The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) is an informed, independent, and unwavering voice for positive action on behalf of more than three million low-income New Yorkers. CSS draws on a 175-year history of excellence in addressing the root causes of economic disparity. We respond to urgent, contemporary challenges through applied research, advocacy, litigation, and innovative program models that strengthen and benefit all New Yorkers. 

*The Unheard Third is an annual CSS survey, begun in 2002, that tracks the experiences and views of low-income New Yorkers—those with incomes at or below the federal poverty level—as well as those of a smaller sample at higher incomes. It is a scientific telephone survey that in 2019 reached 1,829 city residents by cell phones and landlines from June through July. The instrument is designed by CSS in collaboration with Lake Research Partners, Lake conducts the survey using Random Digit Dialing and professional interviewers. Interviews are conducted in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The overall margin of error +/-2.29 percent and +/-2.97 for the low-income component.

 

Issues Covered

Affordable Housing