plannycha: a roadmap for preservation

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2011

PLANNYCHAA Roadmap For Preservatio


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On the ront cover: Edenwald Houses On this page: Highbridge Houses

WE ARE ALL NYCHA.We are homes. NYCHA provides or enables access to sae, stable, afordable housing

or low- and moderate-income New Yorkers.

We are communities. ogether NYCHAs acilities, employees, residents, and partnersanchor neighborhoods throughout the city. NYCHA provides or enables access to

programs and services that empower, increase opportunity, and enhance quality o lie

or residents and surrounding communities.

We are a developer. NYCHA increases the supply o afordable housing and community

acilities, including schools, retail, community centers, and other resources.

We are an employer. NYCHA directly employs thousands o people with sae,

meaningul, living-wage jobs that ofer proessional development and advancement

opportunities. A large percentage o employees25 percentare also public housingand Section 8 residents.

We are an economic engine. NYCHA provides all o New York City with a unique

competitive advantage by organizing and allocating resources to provide low-income

amilies with the opportunity to achieve nancial stability. In turn, these amilies actively

contribute to the economic cycle o the communities where they live and work. Te

money that NYCHA pours into the economy through purchases o goods and services

produces jobs ar beyond what NYCHA provides as a direct employer.


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NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY Plan NYCHA 1

TABLE OF CONTENTSA Message from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.................................................................. 2

A Message from NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea............................................................... 3

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 4

Plan NYCHA: A Roadmap for Preservation .......................................................................... 7

Preserve the Public and Affordable Housing Asset.......................................................... 11

Develop New Mixed-Use, Mixed-Income

Housing and Resources........................................................................................................ 14

Ensure Financial Stability ..................................................................................................... 18

Expedite Maintenance and Repairs.................................................................................... 22

Strengthen the Frontline....................................................................................................... 24

Improve Safety and Security................................................................................................ 26

Optimize Apartment Usage and Ensure Rental Equity......................................................29

Connect Residents and Communities to Critical Services...............................................32

Excel in Customer Service.................................................................................................... 35

Create a High-Performing NYCHA....................................................................................... 39

Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 42Appendix: NYCHAS Mission and Rich History .................................................................. 43

Appendix: The Process Leading to Plan NYCHA............................................................... 46

Source Notes ......................................................................................................................... 51

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................. 52

December 2011

PLANNYCHAA Roadmap For Preservation


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2 Plan NYCHA NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY

A MESSAGE FROM MAYORMICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG

Dear Friends:

New York City is proud to be the home o the countrys oldest, largest, and best public housing system.

Like most public housing authorities, NYCHA has aced extraordinary challenges over the past decade.

However, thanks to Chairman John Rheas energetic and innovative leadership, our Administration has

continued to provide quality afordable housing or low- and moderate-income New Yorkers.

Tis mission is at the core oPlan NYCHA, an ambitious call to oster partnerships and maintain and

improve NYCHA services. With both local and ederal government budgets tight, nonprot and private

sector organizations can help public housing achieve scal stability and strengthen our communities.

Trough these eforts, we are condent we can increase economic opportunities and improve the quality

o lie or NYCHAs more than 600,000 residents.

Our Administration is committed to investing in public housing. ogether with Chairman Rhea and

NYCHA, we look orward to Plan NYCHA helping us deliver more o the afordable homes that hard-

working New Yorkers deserve.

Michael R. Bloomberg

Mayor


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A MESSAGE FROM NYCHA CHAIRMANJOHN B. RHEA

On behal o the Board o the New York City Housing Authority I am

pleased to present you with Plan NYCHA: A Roadmap or Preservation. Tis

ambitious plan is a call to action to preserve Public Housing or current and

uture generations o New Yorkers.

Troughout 2011, hundreds o people committed to preserving public

housing joined together to develop critical plan imperatives that will be

promoted over the next ve years and beyond. Public housing residents,

resident leaders including the Citywide Council o Presidents, community

advocates, and NYCHA employeesall have given o their time, experience,

and expertise to ensure that we preserve this valuable resource.

ogether we have accomplished so much to enhance our communities and support NYCHAs amilies.

Our progress is signicant, but our work is ongoing. As we move orward we will need the unwavering

and broad-based support o multiple stakeholders to ensure that the transormative vision outlined in

Plan NYCHA is realized.

Join us as we embark on this collaborative journey toward a stronger, more ecient and customer-

ocused New York City Housing Authority.

John B. Rhea

Chairman

NYCHA Board:

Victor A. Gonzalez,

Board Member; JohnB. Rhea, Chairman;

Emily Youssou, Vice

Chair; and Margarita

Lpez, Board Member


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fA Call to Action to Preserve New York City Public HousingPlan NYCHA: A Roadmap or Preservationis a call to action to ensure that public housing

remains available or current and uture generations o New Yorkers. Despite acing unprecedented

challengesrom overwhelming unding shortages, to an aging and decaying housing stock in

desperate need o repair, to a growing wait list o almost 161,000 amilies or public housing,and about 125,000 waiting or a Section 8 voucherthe New York City Housing Authority

(NYCHA) is leading the charge to meet these obstacles head on. We need to overcome these

challenges together; only through sustained, meaningul collaboration can we ensure that this

invaluable resource will not be diminished. With recognition that a major transormation is

needed both within the NYCHA organization and throughout the supporting environment,

we are calling on all public housing stakeholdersresidents, policymakers, advocates, NYCHA

staf, and New Yorkers at largeto join the ght to preserve New York City public housing.

fOur Vision for the Future

Trough a transparent and inclusive planning process, NYCHA has engaged thousands o staf, residents,and resident leaders, including the Citywide Council o Presidents; as well as partners across the City and

country to solicit ideas and seek guidance, as we develop our ambitious roadmap or the uture. As we

move orward, NYCHA must:

tEvolve the model or public housing and rental assistance in New York City to make it nancially,

socially, and environmentally sustainable;

tProvide or enable better access to decent, sae, and afordable housing or current customers;

tIncrease the number o New Yorkers we serve;

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Community Conversation, Manhattanville Community Center

NYCHAs Mission:

To increase

opportunities

or low- and

moderate-income

New Yorkers by

providing sae,

aordable

housing and

acilitating

access to social

and community

services.


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Executive Summary


tSupport positive outcomes or NYCHA residents and communities;

transorm into a high-perorming organization that excels at customer service.

Tis bold and transormative vision to preserve public housing or New York City will require

NYCHA, along with all o its stakeholders, to work collaboratively and unceasingly.

fStrong Headwinds: Major Challenges Facing NYCHARecent years have brought unparalleled scal challenges or NYCHA, as we strive to preserve the

178,000 units o afordable housing and create new stock. In addition, we are now serving a broader

populationseniors aging in place, individuals with disabilities and the chronic unemployed and un-

deremployedwith needs that go well beyond housing. Major challenges acing NYCHA today include:

tUnprecedented fnancial crisis. Since 2002, NYCHA has received $700 million less in operating

subsidies than its ederal unding ormula requires. Similarly, despite an escalating need or unding

to repair and maintain apartments and buildings, NYCHAs capital subsidies have been cut by a

third over the past decade. Tese crises have resulted in a structural operating decit and a $13

billion capital shortall through 2015.

tFamilies hanging in the balance. With vacancy rates in New York City remaining at an all-time low, the

most impacted are low- to moderate-income amilies. Nearly 161,000 amilies are on the waiting list

or public housing, and approximately 125,000 amilies are on the waiting list or Section 8 housing.

tIncreasing reliance o NYCHA residents on a wide range o community and social service programs.

Our programs and services are oen a lieline to residents, especially children, teens, single parent

households, seniors, and amilies in crisis; thousands o residents use these services that directly

cost NYCHA more than $75 million, only $12 million o which is unded by grants. Rather than

retreating rom these challenges, NYCHA is tackling them creatively with new determination.

fPlan NYCHA: the Imperatives, the Challenges, the Plan and the Call to Action

Plan NYCHA was developed in a truly collaborative ashioninvolving a wide range o participantsrom public housing residents and resident leadership (including the Citywide Council o Presidents) to

community advocates and NYCHA employees. While Plan NYCHA will continuously evolve, it has ten

core critical imperatives that NYCHA and its stakeholders will champion over the next ve years and

beyond. Tese imperatives are each accompanied by a specic plan, respective challenges and a

call to action or the various public housing stakeholders.

1. Preserve the public and afordable housing asset

NYCHA will clearly prioritize its capital needs, improve capital operations, and pursue creative

public-private unding solutions to close the gap on unmet capital improvements.

2. Develop new mixed-use, mixed-income housing and resources

NYCHA will analyze nancing options to develop new afordable housing as part o the MayorsNew Marketplace Housing Plan, and to create community and commercial acilities to serve

residents and employ New Yorkers. NYCHA will also explore options or building mixed-income

and market-rate housing, and or monetizing land and development rights to und existing

NYCHA capital needs.

3. Ensure nancial stability

NYCHA will diversiy its government unding, increase earned revenue, and create new

business-development capabilities and public-private partnerships to ensure a balanced budget.

Approximately

70 percent o

NYCHAs

developments

are 40 years old

or older.


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4. Expedite maintenance and repairs

NYCHA will ensure that all units are in a state o good repair and that all uture needed repairs

are scheduled and completed in a timely manner.

5. Strengthen the rontline

NYCHA will become an ecient, high-productivity organization with a strong ocus on serving

all its properties. NYCHA will be capably stafed with an adequately resourced proessional corps

o rontline employees. NYCHA will incorporate the best practices rom property management

companies to provide excellent service and high-quality management throughout its portolio.

6. Improve saety and security

NYCHA will work with residents and law enorcement to create secure, healthy neighborhoods where

residents, employees, and their visitors eel sae, both on NYCHA grounds and inside buildings.

7. Optimize apartment usage and ensure rental equity

NYCHA will transition amilies to housing units appropriate or their needs; maximize the number

o amilies served by Section 8; phase in rent increases to households paying less than 30 percent

o their income; and encourage higher-income amilies to transition out o public housing.

8. Connect residents and communities to critical services

NYCHA will seek unding rom and collaborate with new and existing partners who ofer

high-quality and results-oriented programming, ensuring that residents receive the maximum

benet rom critically-needed community and social services.

9. Excel in customer service

NYCHA must communicate more efectively with its customers in order to streamline service and

meet their needs. NYCHA will become a customer-ocused organization that strives to make each

interaction a positive experience.

10. Create a high-perorming NYCHA

As a high-perorming organization, eciency, operational excellence, and continuous improvement

will be championed. Empowered employees will be capable o and held accountable or helpingNYCHA achieve its goals, and NYCHA will celebrate and reward outstanding perormance.

fConclusion and Call to ActionDespite todays challenges, NYCHAs original 1934 mission remains unwavering: to increase opportunities

or low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing sae, aordable housing and acilitating access

to social and community services. Over time, NYCHAs ability to ulll this mission has been stretched,

and we are now being asked to do more than ever beore. We are rising to this new call o duty, but we

cannot do it alone.

We will succeed only through partnerships and new strategies to provide tailored support to our res-

idents. We want to be exible enough to deal with todays realities o our more diverse customer needs,but not lose sight o our undamental goals: to see amilies move on and not continue to need our

services. But or those we do serve, we need broad-based support rom all public housing stakeholders

in government, in the non-prot community and in the private sector to maintain our commitment

to our core mission. We are asking or your support. As laid out in this Callto Action, we are prepared

to do our part, and we hope you will join us in this noble efort to support New York Citys amilies.

Community

Conversation or

youth, Rutgers

Community Center


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A Roadmap for Preservation


We ask you to join us in our ght to preserve New

York City public housing. Te New York City

Housing Authority (NYCHA), as one o the most

visible support systems or working class and low-

income amilies, has come under assault over the

last decade. We have encountered unprecedented

unding cuts, an aging and decaying housing stock

in desperate need o repair, and almost 300,000

amilies on the waiting list or public and Section

8 housing. In the ace o these daunting chal-lenges, NYCHA is working harder than ever to

preserve New York Citys public housing asset.

NYCHA remains committed to investing

in our communities, our capabilities and our

peoplethis is the charge behind Plan NYCHA:

A Roadmap or Preservation. In recent years, our

commitment has been challenged as never beore.

Achieving real, enduring, and positive change or

the amilies NYCHA serves will require a transor-

mation o NYCHAs operations equal to the chal-

lenges we ace. Without change, one o New Yorks

most precious assetspublic housingis at risk.

ransormation will require a holistic ap-

proach: NYCHA must change the way we operate,

how we pursue unding, and how we manage our

resources. Most importantly, transormation will

require NYCHA, our many stakeholders, and ev-ery New Yorker who believes in the importance o

public and afordable housing to come together

to stand united. Only through sustained, meaning-

ul collaboration can we ensure that this invaluable

resource will be available or uture generations.

Only together can we secure and strengthen the

homes and communities that will ensure that

PLAN NYCHA:A ROADMAP FOR PRESERVATION

Community Conversation, Queensbridge Community Center

fA Call to Action to Preserve New York City Public Housing


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New York City remains the most vibrant, diverse,

and celebrated city in the world.

In this spirit, we present to you Plan NYCHA:

A Roadmap or Preservation.Plan NYCHA is

much more than a strategic plan: it is a roadmap,

a call to action, the building o a movement and a

shared set o priorities. It is also the beginning o a

conversation that seeks solutions to the stark chal-

lenges we ace to provide housing, one o the mostbasic human needs, in a complex and changing

New York City environment.

fOur Vision for the FutureNYCHAs vision or the uture is to ensure the

preservation o public housing and increase

the supply o afordable housing or current

and uture generations in New York City. Our

plan to realize this vision is aspirational and

transormative, and we cannot do it alone.In the next ve years and beyond, NYCHA

will work with all o its stakeholders to:

tEvolve the model or public housing and

rental assistance in New York City to make

it nancially, socially, and environmentally

sustainable

tProvide or enable access to decent, sae, and

afordable housing or current customers

tIncrease the number o customers we serve

tSupport positive outcomes or NYCHA

customers and communities

transorm into a high-perorming

organization that excels at customer service

We have and will continue to engage staf, resi-

dents, and partners across the City and the country

to solicit ideas and seek guidance, as we develop

our ambitious roadmap or the uture. Trough

a transparent and inclusive planning process,

NYCHA has already involved thousands o key

stakeholders including staf, residents, elected o-

cials, unions, unders, community partners, policy

experts, and other supporters o public and aford-

able housing through engagements such as ocus

groups, surveys, and community roundtables.

Our engagement has yielded ten core critical

imperatives, which we will develop in detail in

Plan NYCHA:

1. Preserve the public and afordable

housing asset

2. Develop new mixed-use, mixed-income

housing and resources

3. Ensure nancial stability4. Expedite maintenance and repairs

5. Strengthen the rontline

6. Improve saety and security

7. Optimize apartment usage and ensure rental

equity

8. Connect residents and communities to

critical services

9. Excel in customer service

10. Create a high-perorming NYCHA

o succeed in meeting these imperatives, Plan

NYCHA must be a living document that inuences

uture behavior, inspiring collective action. We

are all NYCHA; we know that NYCHAs build-

ings, people and communities are a precious asset

and source o opportunity or New York City.

Only together can everyonein collaboration

NYCHAs vision

or the uture is

to ensure the

preservation o

public housing

and increase the

supply o aord-able housing or

current and uture

generations in

New York City.

Community Conversation, Melrose Community Center


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A Roadmap for Preservation


preserve both the asset and the opportunity, or

current and uture generations o New Yorkers.

fStrong Headwinds: MajorChallenges Facing NYCHA

Recent years have brought unparalleled challenges

or NYCHA: shrinking unding sources, unprece-

dented cuts to the nations public housing budgets,

an economic recession driving increases in ap-

plications or housing assistance, an aging inven-

tory o buildings, a mandate to not only preserve

178,000 units o afordable housing but also to

create 6,000 new units, and a population in greater

need than most o us have seen in a lietime.

Unprecedented fnancial crisis. Struggling

under the weight o annual operating decits and

severely underunded capital needs, NYCHA is at

risk o moving rom nancial distress to insolvency.

Since 2002, NYCHA has been deprived o

approximately $700 million in operating subsidies

due to partial unding by Congress. Tis is in

addition to the cumulative $700 million decit o

NYCHAs recently ederalized 21 developments

during this time. More signicantly, there is a

$13 billion dollar gap between what NYCHA will

receive in capital unding and what its buildingsand inrastructure needs are through 2015.

Escalating need or unding to repair and

maintain apartments and buildings. NYCHA has

an aging housing stock70 percent o NYCHAs

developments are already 40 years or olderand

a widening backlog o desperately needed repairs

and upgrades. Tese needs increase each year, and i

they are not immediately addressed, there is signi-

cant risk o losing units and/or entire buildings to

decay or disrepair.Families hanging in the balance.NYCHA

aces unparalleled pressure to accommodate the

growing list o amilies seeking afordable hous-

ing. Vacancy rates in New York City have been at

an all-time low, and those hardest hit by this are

low- to moderate-income amilies.1 More than

630,000 New Yorkers are served by NYCHAs

Public Housing and Section 8 programs com-

bined, with nearly 161,000 amilies on the wait-

ing list or public housing, and approximately

125,000 amilies on the waiting list or Section 8

housing. With the waiting lists growing, NYCHA

must play an even greater role in developing a-

ordable housing.

Residents are dependent on a wide range o

NYCHA community and social service pro-grams. Each year, more than $75 million goes to

support programs, services, and outreach initia-

tives on which thousands o NYCHA residents

and surrounding communities rely. Only $12

million o this is covered by grants; NYCHA

unds the remainder rom its operating budget.

Our programs and services are oen a lieline to

residents, especially children, teens, single parent

households, seniors, and amilies in crisis.

NYCHAs goals are ambitious and will not beeasy to accomplish in the ace o these many chal-

lenges. But we are guided by our original mission,

which remains unwavering since our ounding

in 1934: to increase opportunities or low- and

moderate-income New Yorkers by providing sae,

aordable housing and acilitating access to social

and community services.

$(700)

$(600)

$(500)

$(400)

$(300)

$(200)

$(100)

$-

$100

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

InMillionsofDollars

Cumulative Federal Operating Funding Shortall2002-2011

The more we

stay involved, the

more we have an

opportunity to

keep ourselves

inormed.

Inez TurpinCampos Plaza Resident


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PLAN NYCHA:THE IMPERATIVES, THE CHALLENGES,THE PLAN AND THE CALL TO ACTIONPlan NYCHA was developed in a truly collaborative ashion involving a

wide range o participants, rom public housing residents and resident

leaders (including the Citywide Council o Presidents) to community

advocates, to the NYCHA team with Chairman John Rhea at the helm

along with the Board (seeAppendix: Te Process Leading to Plan NYCHA).

While we expect Plan NYCHA to be dynamic in nature and continuously

evolving, it has, at its core, ten core imperatives that NYCHAalong with

its stakeholderswill champion over the next ve years and beyond. In

the pages that ollow, we go into detail about each o the imperatives,

their respective challenges, the plan or the uture, and the concrete

steps that are needed in the short and long term to achieve our collective

vision. Within each section, we also clariy the call to action to ensure

that we are all inormed about how we can be a part o the solution.


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Preserve the Asse


THE IMPERATIVE: PRESERVE THE PUBLICAND AFFORDABLE HOUSING ASSETMore than 70 percent o NYCHA buildings are

over 40 years old. With older buildings come

complex needs. Older buildings require capi-

tal improvements to repair roos, elevators and

brickwork. Major upgrades are needed regularly to

ensure that heating, plumbing, and other systemscontinue to unction properly. Ongoing mainte-

nance and repairs to both the interior and exterior

o our buildings and apartments are needed to

keep them well-maintained and ree o disrepair

caused by outside elements or day-to-day wear

and tear. Preserving our existing buildings and

apartments will enable NYCHA to continue assist-

ing those who already live in public housing and

those who will need this assistance in the uture.

fThe ChallengesUnunded capital investments:In 2006, NYCHA

assessed its maintenance and repair needs. Tat

Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) estimated that

NYCHA needed to invest $25 billion over the next

15 years to maintain current housing stock in a state

o good repair. Tese needs ar exceed current und-

The frst things

that come to mind

when I hear the

word NYCHA are

community,aordable hous-

ing, outreach,

involvement, and

just helping

people aord a

place to live.

Donovan Mendoza

Walt Whitman

Houses Resident

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

10-19years

89 buildings

0-10years

1 building

20-29years

314 buildings

30-39years

327 buildings

40-49years

470 buildings

50-59years

765 buildings

60-69years

487 buildings

70 & aboveyears

149 buildings

Age of NYCHAs 2,602 Buildings, as of October 31, 2011

Federal stimulus preservation work, Whitman-Ingersoll Houses

ing sources. NYCHA has invested approximately $2

billion between 2006 and 2010, leaving an estimated

$5.5 billion in unmet need through the end o 2010.

For 2011 through 2015, NYCHA anticipates invest-

ing another $1.5 billion against an estimated $9

billion need. Simply put, there will be an estimated$13 billion in deerred capital investments by

2015 i we do not secure more unding.


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$2.0 $1.5

$5.5 $7.5

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

InBillionsofDollars

Capital Funding well short of $25 Billion

2006 Physical Needs Assessment (PNA)

Unmet Need

Actual/Budgeted2006-2010 2011-2015

$13 Billion Unmet Capital

Need Through 2015

Exacerbating the situation is the need or a

detailed, up-to-date, post-2006 inventory o the

physical condition o each building in our system.

Without this data, NYCHA cannot accurately assess

the number and category o capital improvements

required, nor the estimated cost o completing the

necessary work across our 2,600 buildings.

Shortalls in subsidies: NYCHA relies on ederal

subsidies or 80 percent o the unding needed to

complete these repairs and renovations. However,

this unding source has been steadily reduced or

decades. From 2001 to 2011, annual ederal capital

subsidies have declined rom $419 million to $273milliona 35 percent decrease. Tere have also

been reductions in unding. Consequently, essen-

tial projects that will prevent the ailure o building

systems or components have been delayed, and the

gap between unds needed or those projects and

unds available is ever-widening. Tese delays have

sparked a growing backlog o capital projects.

Living with chronic disrepair: Residents

are the rst to eel the impacts o decaying

inrastructure. Many now live in buildingswith requent elevator outages, heating issues,

and leaks. NYCHA buildings are seemingly

permanently surrounded by sidewalk sheds, or

scafolding. NYCHA lacks unding to complete the

necessary capital improvements, let alone invest

in energy eciency and technology upgrades that

would ultimately lower lie cycle costs.

I NYCHA does not have the unding needed

or capital improvements, or the detailed inor-

mation to guide decisions on how best to allocate

scarce resources, there is a risk that our buildings

will deteriorate to the point where it will be cost

prohibitive to repair and maintain themand

keep the units online.

Rising Energy Costs:A combination o

escalating energy expenses, along with boilers

and ancillary heating systems that have exceeded

their useul lie, make it important that NYCHA

invest in energy retrot and upgrades. NYCHA

spends approximately $500 million a year on

energy costs, which could be used elsewhere i we

were to reduce our usage.

fThe Plan: NYCHA will clearlyprioritize its capital needs, improvecapital operations, and pursuecreative unding solutions to closethe gap on capital improvements.

NOW

We will:

tComplete the current Physical Needs Assess-

ment (PNA) to provide accurate replacementcosts or systems and components that have

outlived their efectiveness

tUse PNA to revise our capital plan, assigning

high priority to capital improvements that

directly impact residents quality o lie

(such as elevator upgrades)

tComplete repair work that becomes more

costly i le unaddressed

tSecure additional unding through HUDs Capi-

tal Fund Financing Program mechanism and is-sue bonds to address critical needs such as brick

work and roo work, where disrepair can cause

leaks or unsae conditions in residents homes

tImprove Capital Projects Division processes,

coordinating more efectively with Property

Management to identiy and prioritize needs

o the properties

We have to

become more

energy efcient in

public housing.

The green agenda

would bring to

public housing a

stability that we

currently do not

have i we

continue to utilize

resources without

understanding

that those re-

sources are not

unlimited.

Margarita Lpez

NYCHA Board Member


15/56

Preserve the Asse


tUtilize a variety o project delivery methods

(such as design-build) to meet the varying

needs o our portolio, and deliver quality

work on time and within budget

tWork with HUD to implement energy peror-

mance contracts to re-invest the savings into

capital improvements and green retrots

LONGER ERM

We will:

tWork collaboratively with Housing Preservation

and Development (HPD) and Department o

City Planning (DCP) to create a mechanism to

apply inclusionary zoning or the rehabilitation

and preservation o NYCHA units

tSeek agreements with HUD to reinvest

operational savings produced byPlan NYCHA

into capital improvements

tContinue to improve methods or per-

orming capital work and expand its service

delivery models

tWork with ederal, state and city partners to

identiy unding resources to close the capital gap

tContinue to seek creative unding solutions us-

ing tools, such as private capital and tax credits,

develop new, mixed-use, mixed-income hous-ing and resources (see Imperative on page 14);

and monetize land and transerable develop-

ment rights, commonly known as air rights

to und capital improvements

tPartner with HUD and energy companies

(ESCOs) to develop a comprehensive invest-

ment strategy to upgrade energy systems

and reduce operating costs

fThe Call to ActionPreserving the vital asset o public housing will

require additional capital and skilled proessionals

to turn this investment into well-constructed,

well-maintained buildings.

Raising capital will require the support o a

number o partners. First, NYCHA will work with

HUD, City Council, city agency partners, union

leaders, resident leaders, and community advo-

cates to garner input and support or the devel-

opment o a long-term capital plan or NYCHA.

Areas o that plan will include a ramework to al-

low NYCHA to better cooperate on zoning eforts,

to raise revenue rom the transer o development

rights, and to work with our housing partners to

ensure NYCHA receives its air share o New York

States volume cap or private-activity bonds.

NYCHA will also work with the Department o

Buildings and the City Council to address Local Law

11, which mandates sidewalk sheds and other pro-

tections or buildings that are under construction.

Compliance with this law has a signicant impact

on NYCHAs budget and on the quality o lie o its

residents. NYCHA will work with these partners to

ensure NYCHA receives priority or a share o the

citys capital unding to comply with Local Law 11.

NYCHA will need to work with all o its stake-

holders, as well as several city agency partners, to

support resident training and hiring eforts in our

ederally-unded capital program. NYCHA will also

collaborate with residents, advocates, employees, and

city agencies to ensure that capital investments in-

corporate environmentally sustainable best practices.

Federal stimulus preservation work,Whitman-Ingersoll Houses


16/56


THE IMPERATIVE:DEVELOP NEW MIXED-USE, MIXED-INCOMEHOUSING AND RESOURCESTe need or more afordable housing in NYC is

massive. In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg releasedthe most ambitious afordable housing plan in the

countrythe New Housing Marketplace Planwith

a ocus on creating and preserving 165,000 units

o afordable housing by the end o 2014.2

While the New Housing Marketplace Plan has

already created and preserved more than 124,000

units, public and afordable housing continues to

be sought aer by many low- and middle-income

New Yorkers who are in need o a decent and

sae place to live.3

Tere is not enough afordablehousing or all New Yorkers in need, and we must

develop new oferings to accommodate them

moving orward.

fThe ChallengesShrinking housing stock: Te citywide vacancy

rate o less than 3 percent is merely one part

o the problem. Despite New York Citys best

eforts to bring about more afordable hous-ing and preserve what already exists, the stock

o afordable housing is shrinking in the City.

Federal, state and city governments have all

stopped unding the development o new

public housing and in 1998, the U.S. Congress

passed an amendment that capped the number

o traditional public housing units or ederal

government subsidy. Consequently, it became

nearly impossible to add more units to the public

housing inventory, regardless o demand.Since 1985, ewer than 8,000 public housing

units have been developed in New York City.

Furthermore, there are ewer afordable units.

Between 2002 and 2008, the city lost more than

178,000 rental apartments with reported monthly

rents o less than $1,000 (ination adjusted).4

Many o these units were lost through deregula-

Markham Gardens townhouses


17/56

Mixed-Use, Mixed-Income Housing


tion or through the expiration o other subsidy

programs such as Mitchell-Lama.5 Preserving

existing afordable housing and creating new

units will require meaningul, sustained

collaboration rom housing agencies and

community advocates.

A changing model: Te model or creating

and preserving public housing in America has

changed. In this new environment, NYCHA must

develop innovative approaches to identiying and

tapping into alternative sources o unding. New

York Citys most valuable commodity is the land

it owns, which could be more eciently utilized.

NYCHA currently owns a signicant portion o

this land. While NYCHA is not in a position to

be the sole nancier o new government subsi-

dized housing, it can use its resources smartly

to assist in:

tBuilding new afordable and supportive

housing or amilies and seniors

tDeveloping market-rate and mixed-income

housing that will generate dollars to subsidize

the creation o new afordable housing or the

preservation o existing NYCHA buildings

tDeveloping community acilities to serve

both NYCHA residents and the surroundingneighborhood

tExamining retail opportunities that will

provide employment or NYCHA residents

and serve NYCHA communities

fThe Plan: NYCHA will analyzefnancing options to develop newaordable housing as part o MayorBloombergs New Marketplace Hous-

ing Plan, and to create communityand commercial acilities to serveresidents and employ New Yorkers.NYCHA will also explore options orbuilding mixed-income and market-rate housing, and or monetizingdevelopment rights to und existingNYCHA capital needs.

0

U.S.1 NYC2 Bronx2 Brooklyn2 Manhattan2 Queens2 NYCHA3

11.4%

2.91% 3.12%2.35%

2.76%3.32%

1.8%2

4

6

8

10

12

1-Christie, Les. Housing Market: 11.4% o All U.S. Homes Are Vacant - Mar. 28, 2011. CNNMoney - Business,Financial and Personal Finance News. 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Dec. 2011.

2-New York City Department o Housing Preservation and Development. Housing New York City 2008.By Moon Wha Lee. New York, 2011. Print Note: Staten Islands sample size too small or an accurate rate.

3-NYCHA Executive Inormation System. 7 Dec. 2011. Raw data. NYCHA, New York.

Housing Vacancy RatesVacancy rate less than 5% is considered an ofcial housing emergency under New York state law

NOW

We will:

tCreate and implement a clear, long-term devel-

opment strategy or the entire NYCHA portolio,

including all land and development assets that

could potentially accommodate new housing

target the ideal mix o nancial returns, socio-

economic impact, and environmental sustain-

ability to maximize the riple Bottom Line

tConduct a comprehensive analysis o NYCHA

land to determine the most benecial uses

tCreate sel-sustaining investment and develop-

ment aliates to nance and execute transactions

tEnsure the timely and successul execution o

current projects, including the construction o the

Harlem RBI charter school, along with new units

o afordable housing; the mixed nance redevel-

opment o Prospect Plaza and Randolph Houses;

as well as specialized housing, such as the Van

Dyck Supportive Housing Development Project.

Te construction o Harlem RBI presents

NYCHA with a unique mixed-use develop-

ment opportunity that includes a charter

school or 450 students and a minimum o


18/56


87 units o afordable housing or residents

o East Harlem. Te proposed 13-story

project, which will be located within

NYCHAs Washington Houses, represents

a strategic investment in the community

as it will increase the afordable housing

stock, add a high quality educational acil-

ity, and generate additional neighborhood

services and employment opportunities.

Based on the Re-Vision Prospect PlazaCommunity Plan developed in June

2010, Prospect Plaza sites will include

approximately 360 afordable rental

units, including at least 80 public hous-

ing units. Demolition o the remaining

Prospect Plaza towers will be completed

by NYCHA prior to the conveyance o the

sites. o urther NYCHAs and the Citys

goals o incorporating the latest green

building technologies into upcomingprojects and promoting design excellence,

all buildings in the project must comply

with the Enterprise Community Partners

Green Communities program.

For Harlems Randolph Houses, the RFP

calls or the extensive rehabilitation and

preservation o 36 historic buildings resulting

in approximately 140 NYCHA public hous-

ing units and a minimum o 155 afordable

housing units. Tis is the rst RFP or a

Mixed-Finance development between

NYCHA and HPD that results in the

combining o both public housing and

afordable residential units.

With the Van Dyke Supportive Housing

Development Project, NYCHA expects to

construct a new mid-rise building with 90

to 100 units, accessory parking i needed,

and social services or the residents o

Brownsville. At least 30 percent o the

units will be reserved or homeless ami-

lies and amilies at risk o homelessness.

Te remaining units will be made avail-

able to low-income households. All units

will be afordable to households earning

up to 60 percent o AMI; 25 percent o

the low-income units will be set aside or

NYCHA residents. Te social services

provided will not only serve the residents

o the new building but also the greater

Brownsville community.

LONGER ERMWe will:

tCreate a long-term plan or maximizing the

value o NYCHAs assets, including land,

buildings, and development rights

tPursue partnerships with private investors

and public agencies to develop afordable

and mixed-income housing, as well as non-

residential projects such as new retail and

school development on select NYCHA sites

t

Generate revenue to und ongoing operationsand capital improvements or existing

public housing rom ground leases, or

partnership leases

tApply or tax credits and other sources o

unding to support the development and

preservation o residential buildings and

community centers

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Bronx Manhattan StatenIsland

Completed Projects(by # units)

Projects in Construction

(by # units)Pre-DevelopmentProjects (by # units)

Queens Brooklyn

NYCHA new unit development 2004-2011


19/56

Mixed-Use, Mixed-Income Housing


tInvestigate the use o transerable development

rights (DRs), commonly known as air rights,

to generate additional income or the NYCHA

tUtilize inclusionary zoning policy to enable

private developers to increase the density

o their new buildings by either: developing

on-site or of-site afordable housing units; or

preserving existing public housing units that

will ensure their long-term afordability

fThe Call to ActionNYCHAs resources and capacity, as well as its

commitment to creating economic, environmen-

tal and social impact valuethe riple Bottom

Linemake it one o the most important partners

in ullling Mayor Bloombergs New Housing

Marketplace Plan. But NYCHA cannot realize

this potential alone. We must work with HUD,

state and city leaders, city agenciesincluding the

New York City Housing Development Corpora-

tion (HDC) and the Department o Housing

Preservation and Development (HPD)resi-

dents, and advocates to rst garner support or

NYCHAs long-term development strategy.

Furthermore, NYCHA requires the support

o HUD, HPD, HDC, elected leaders, advocates,and residents on its application or New Market

ax Credits and similar eforts to secure ad-

ditional tax credit unding. NYCHA must work

with the City Council and other partners in city

government to raise revenue rom the transer

o development rights.

Finally, NYCHA must work with HUD, HPD,

HDC, Department or the Aging (DFA), com-

munity advocates, and residents to ensure that

public housing residents receive preerence ornew afordable housing in New York City, particu-

larly afordable senior and supportive housing.

We have some

particular needs

or populations

like our seniors,

who need hous-

ing that is builtto suit their

liestyles, their

concerns and

their needs, so

its about the

construction o

new housing.

NYCHA Chairman

John B. Rhea

Elliott Chelsea mixed-income aordable housing


20/56


THE IMPERATIVE:ENSURE FINANCIAL STABILITYWhen ederal, state, and city governments rst

built public housing across the nation, hous-

ing authorities were ush and well-unded. Tey

were able to maintain their developments to high

standards, ofer community programs, and pro-

vide social services to their residents. oday, the

new reality is vastly diferent. Funds provided to

NYCHA have become less dependable. In addition,

a decade ago, New York State stopped providing

annual unding or public housing buildings that

they helped construct. Since 2001, ederal unding

has been inadequate, causing NYCHAs operat-

ing decits and the growing gap in capital needs.

Te realities o unding shortalls, archaic

unding ormulas, and unnecessary restrictions onavailable unding have orced NYCHA and public

housing authorities around the country to change.

Some have become more market-driven; some

have demolished their public housing and rebuilt

mixed-income communities; and others have vastly

expanded their public-private partnerships, working

with community organizations that now deliver the

social services previously provided by the respec-

tive authority. NYCHA must make tough choices

and pursue similar innovations in order to continue

providing sae, afordable housing in the current

economic and political climate.

o continue serving our customers, NYCHA

must evolve the existing model or public housing

and Section 8 rental assistance by maximizing op-

portunities to bring in new unding. We must estab-

lish a sustainable, diversied, and balanced nancial

model that will carry the organization orward.

fThe ChallengesUnreliable budgets: NYCHAs unding is subject

to a budget process that can uctuate and changeevery year. Since government subsidies account

or approximately 70 percent o NYCHAs opera-

tional unding, inconsistent budgetary priorities

make multi-year planning a challenge. Addition-

ally, NYCHA has severe restrictions on its unding

use, whereas other large metropolitan housing

authorities have been classied as Moving to Work

As NYCHA

continues to

grapple with

Federal budget

cuts, we will seek

innovative new

fnancing struc-

tures to best

leverage avail-

able unding.

Emily Youssou

NYCHA Vice Chair

Highbridge Houses


21/56

Ensure Financial Stability


Cummulative operating budget deficitprojected to be $245 Million over next 5 years

Operating Budget ($ Million)50

0

-50

-100

Note: 2011 excludes prior year offset

20152014201320122011

NYCHA needs

to increase

revenue and/or

reduce expenses

to achieve

balanced budgets.

Dwelling Rent$85728%

Public HousingSubsidy

$94030%

Section 8 Subsidy$1,100

36%

Other Revenues$1886%

Dollars in MillionsFY 2010 Revenues

(MW) agenciesa demonstration program

or public housing authorities that provides

the opportunity to design and test innovative,

locally-designed strategies that increase housing

choices or low-income amilies while providing

more exibility in how Authorities use their unds.

Tis program enables public housing authorities to

receive unds as block grants and make inormed

decisions about the best spending options. In

contrast, NYCHA unds are highly restricted and

re-calibrated annually, which results in increased

bureaucracy. As NYCHA has to use unds or each

o its assigned sources (i.e., public housing, Section

8 or Capital)the unds cannot be co-mingled,

despite a surplus in one or shortalls in another.

Inequitable unding ormulas: NYCHA

receives ederal unds through a complex ormula

that determines the exact amount o unding al-

located to each public housing authority. While

this ormula takes location into account, New York

City has long advocated that the system is inequi-

table when one considers the citys uniquely high

construction costs as well as higher employment

costs (wages and benets) in comparison to au-

thorities across the US. For example, NYCHA cost

actors are identical to Newark, NJ, irrespective ocost-o-living diferences.

Stretching ederal subsidies: In response to

changing times and unding cuts, HUD is encour-

aging public housing authorities to become more

market-driven by seeking out public-private part-

nerships to help support social and community

programs and utilizing debt and mortgage loans to

und capital repairs.

In 2010, NYCHA partnered with Citi Com-

munity Capital and the Housing PartnershipDevelopment Corporation on an award-winning

Mixed Finance Modernization Plan (also known

as Federalization) that rehabilitated 21,000

public housing units. Using Recovery Act or

stimulus unds, NYCHA upgraded 21 develop-

ments (ormerly supported by New York City or

State), bringing them into the ederal portolio and

delivering a dedicated annual ederal subsidy o up

to $70 million to und operations and capital work.

Tis was an historic achievement rst proposed

more than 20 years ago. However, NYCHA still

operates approximately 6,000 units that do not re-

ceive any ederal subsidy rom HUD, and thereore

we shoulder all associated operating and mainte-

nance costs. Consequently, NYCHA is obliged to

apply its ederal subsidies to these ununded units,

which urther leaves its entire portolio under-

unded each year. Read more inormation at

www.nyc.gov/nycha.Section 8 unding constraints: Te unding

situation is similarly constrained or subsidized


22/56


housing using Section 8 vouchersHUDs Hous-

ing Choice Program. Funding and availability o

Section 8 vouchers is variable rom year-to-year,

with limits on the maximum number o units

eligible or ederal unding. Complex regulations

governing both dollar and unit voucher caps create

inexibility in managing the program. Since 2010,

NYCHAs program has been at capacity and ully

utilized; which means that despite a waiting list

o 125,000 applicants, new vouchers will become

available only through attrition.

fThe Plan: NYCHA will diversifyits government funding, increaseearned revenue, and create new

business-development capabilitiesand public-private partnerships totap into new sources of funding.

NOW

We will:

tMaximize NYCHAs largest revenue source

government undingby working closely

with government partners to increase ex-

ibility, pursue new opportunities and develop

innovative approaches to make the most oevery government dollar; and develop new

unding streams

Apply to participate in HUDs proposed

Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)

pilot, designed to provide more access to

private capital markets that generate unds

allocated to preserving public housing

Explore alternative unding streams or

the 6,000 units currently not receiving ed-

eral undingpotentially bringingan additional $50 million in subsidies

by converting units to project-based Section

8; or other creative measures

Seek additional state and city unding or

the support o maintenance and repair, sae-

ty and environmental initiatives, supportive

housing and senior and resident services

Explore alternative unding options or

specic parts o the NYCHA portolio such

as the contract-based Section 8 units, FHA

homes, and other non-conventional units,

to generate revenue and rehabilitate units

Introduce market-rate parking or non-res-

idents, and stricter enorcement o parking

by authorized vehicles only

Better utilize NYCHA-owned commercial

storeronts and properties, with each rented

at a air market rate

Collaborate with the citys Department

o Sanitation to capture revenue generated

rom aggressive recycling

Design and launch a plan to ofer NYCHA

property or advertising with input rom

residents

Continue to pursue public-private partner-

ships that bring unding and other resources

to NYCHA communities

LONGER ERM

We will:

tUtilize a variety o tools to und operations,

targeting a healthy mix o private and

public monies Pursue mixed-nance projects similar to the

structure o the ederalization transaction

in 2010, which enabled NYCHA to apply

private dollars and tax credits to the repair

and rehabilitation o NYCHA buildings

Seek designation rom Congress as

a Moving to Work (MW) agency

Participate in other innovative HUD pro-

grams, such as Hope VI

Request equity adjustments to the ederalunding ormula based on the high costs o

operating in New York City

fThe Call to ActionEvolving the model o public housing in

New York City to make it nancially stable will

require the cooperation o public housing

Its about lobby-

ing more or

undsin Wash-

ington, writingthe governor

to make sure we

try to get more

money or NYCHA

citywide, not just

one development,

but or everybody.

Lisa Kenner

President, Van DykeHouses I Resident

Association


23/56

Ensure Financial Stability


residents, housing leaders at the ederal, state,

and city level and community advocates.

First, we must achieve better alignment and

cooperation on legislative priorities with respect

to public housing communities. Second, we

must work with HUD to ensure that NYCHA is

included in the Rental Assistance Demonstration

(RAD) pilot. Tis will be part o a broader efort

to partner with HUD to develop NYC-specic

plan or transormation and preservation. We will

collaborate with leaders at HUD to ensure that

currently ununded but ully ederalized public

housing units receive their appropriate share o

ederal subsidies. And NYCHA will develop a

proposal to secure designation rom Congress as

a Moving to Work (MW) authority.

NYCHA will work with city agency partners

including the Department o City Planning

(DCP), the City o New York Department o

Sanitation (DSNY), and the New York City Police

Department (NYPD)advocates, and residents

to secure business and earned-revenue opportu-

nities, including restructuring NYCHAs parking

program, generating advertising revenue, and

leasing additional commercial space.

Trough the Oce o Public-Private Partner-

ships, NYCHA will continue to call on private

organizations, including nancial institutions,

businesses and community-based organizations,

to help support our residents and communities

through unding or supporting key saety, envi-

ronmental, quality-o-lie, or resident initiatives.

Finally, NYCHA requires the support o

HUD, state and city ocials, city agencies, ad-

vocates, residents, and resident leaders to pursue

additional mixed-nance transactions.


24/56


THE IMPERATIVE:

EXPEDITE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRSLack o timeliness in completing repairs,especially high-priority repairs, is the single

biggest actor afecting NYCHA customers and

their quality o lie today. Residents repeatedly

note that the repairs process is the most

unpleasant aspect o living in NYCHA housing,

citing lack o timeliness and poor customer

service as the primary reasons. More than 20

percent o residents surveyed expressed that,

in the previous year, a request or repairs hadnecessitated our or more calls. Consequently,

residents who had called or repairs

demonstrated a higher rate o dissatisaction

than those who had not. o dramatically

improve the quality o lie or residents, NYCHA

must provide repair and maintenance to our

buildings in a more expeditious manner.

fThe ChallengesAging buildings with complex needs: NYCHAs

buildings are aging and reductions in ederal

unding have delayed the upgrade or replace-

ment o major building systems. Since 2001,

NYCHA has been underunded by hundreds o

millions o dollars, which afects the maintenance

and repair o our developments, resulting in a

multi-year backlog o unullled work-order

requests and customer dissatisaction. Non-emergency repairs are requently not scheduled

or more than a year, and sometimes even longer.

Te potential loss o units: Addressing all

high-priority and emergency work orders would

require approximately $3,000 per unit, or a

hal-billion dollars system-wide. However, those

repairs would merely ulll interim needs, as

I repairs are

made on time,

major damages

can be prevented

or can save more

money.

Resident at West

Brighton HousesCommunity

Conversation

Ivestus Emmanuel and Miguel Mousonet, NYCHA Work Order ask Force, South Jamaica Houses


25/56

Expedite Maintenance and Repair


these repairs do not address the structural im-

provements to buildings that would ensure ewer

emergencies in the uture. Tere is an additional

$13 billion in capital needs over the next ve

years (see page 11) or building operating sys-

tems, elevators, roo repairs, and brick work that

also directly afect residents quality o lie. Delay-

ing these investments makes them much more

costly in the long run, as maintenance needs

increase at a higher rate with each year beyond

the normal lie cycle o buildings and equipment.

Moreover, these units could be lost altogether.

fThe Plan: NYCHA will ensure thatall units are in a state o good repair

and that all uture needed repairsare completed in a timely manner.

NOW

We will:

tReduce the number o appointments in the

backlog by the end o 2012, building on

the $11 million allocated to consolidate

and address repairs in 2011

tProvide tools and supplies needed or

aster and more efective responses torepair requests

tHire temporary skilled trade workers and

improve the coordination o trades; eliminate

the inconvenience o scheduling separate

appointments or multiple skilled workers

(plumbers, electricians, carpenters, plasterers,

painters, etc.)

tReduce the work time needed to complete

repairs, which will lessen the wait time or

all customer requeststFocus on the approximately 10,000

apartments with multiple outstanding repair

work orders currently not scheduled or

completion until 2014

tMake systematic improvements to prevent

the development o uture backlogs

tAnalyze current maintenance and repair

processes and implement improvements

to system management, rom procurement

to completion, which will ensure maximum

eciency in use o limited stang and

materials resourcing

LONGER ERM

We will:

tEnact a series o continual improvement

initiatives to address the most

immediate repairs

tDedicate approximately $50 million over

the next ve years to reduce longstanding

maintenance and repair needs

tFocus on a larger number o work orders

tIdentiy savings that can support an increase

in maintenance workers

tBecome a HUD high perorming agency by

ocusing on such items as shortening the

length o time needed to prepare units or

move-in, as well as address emergency and

routine repairs

fThe Call to ActionTese eforts, while extensive, are a ramework

and oundation or ully addressing NYCHAsmaintenance and repair backlogbut they are

not a solution. Bringing all o NYCHAs homes

to a state o good repair will require additional

coordinated action.

First, NYCHA must receive additional

dedicated maintenance unding. Expediting

maintenance and repair will require residents,

community leaders, and union members to work

with NYCHA to ensure that unding or public

housing in New York City is a priority o ederal,state, and city governments.

NYCHA also needs greater exibility regard-

ing union work-rules in order to address multiple

repairs in a housing unit. NYCHA welcomes the

partnership o employees, union leaders, and

advocates in developing a stronger approach to

work-rule development and implementation.

It costs about

$2,900 per unit to

make all the

repairs. I youmultiply that over

a 178,000 units,

we need hal a

billion dollars just

to do basic

maintenance. Im

not talking about

elevators or the

roosIm onlytalking about

fxing the kitchen

cabinets, replac-

ing the stove,

fxing the bath-

room leaks, all

that minor stu.

Carlos Laboy

Deputy GeneralManager or

Operations


26/56


Following reductions in government unding over

the years, NYCHA has made many tough choices,

including downsizing its overall staf. Reduc-

tions in rontline stafparticularly maintenance,

janitorial, and grounds-keeping employeeshave

made it more dicult to sustain a consistentlevel o customer service and contributed to

resident concerns about the general upkeep o

NYCHA buildings and grounds. For example,

the number o Property Management staf has

decreased by almost 20 percent since 2005.

o make an investment in the rontline,

NYCHA must become more ecient. Tere are sig-

nicant opportunities to enhance agency eciency

by reducing central oce and administrative costs,

and the savings generated by these eforts could bere-invested in property-level management. By doing

so, residents will experience greater customer satis-

action and morale on the rontline will improve.

fThe ChallengesFrustration on the rontline: Employees and

residents alike agree that rontline maintenance has

deteriorated in recent years. In ocus groups and in

the Community Conversations, residents noted that

NYCHA has been increasingly orced to do more

with less, with ewer janitors and maintenance

workers on staf to perorm the day-to-day cleaning

and repair work o NYCHAs more than 2,600 resi-dential buildings. Similarly, rontline employees are

also rustrated by the increased pressure to main-

tain quality standards o rapidly aging buildings

with ewer resources, materials, and co-workers.

fThe Plan: NYCHA will become anefcient, high-productivity organizationwith a clear, strong ocus on servingall its properties. NYCHA will be

capably staed with an adequatelyresourced proessional corps orontline employees. NYCHA willincorporate best practices romproperty management companiesto provide excellent service andhigh-quality management throughoutits portolio.

THE IMPERATIVE:

STRENGTHEN THE FRONTLINE

Milagores Colmenares, NYCHA Caretaker J, St. Marys Park/Moore Houses, Castle Hill Houses resident


27/56

Strengthen the Frontline


NOW

We will:

tMake an immediate investment in rontline

operations by adding more than 100

rontline employees

tHire residents trained through the resident

training academy operated in partnership

with Robin Hood

tComplete analysis and cost reductions o

central oce and administrative operations

tIdentiy areas or enhanced operating

eciency and efectiveness through process

and organization redesign

tGenerate savings that can be reallocated

to support critical operating needs

tCollaborate with unions and other city

agencies to become a more productive,

efective and customer-ocused organization

tEmpower our rontline workorce to

continually improve the organizations

perormance

tAdopt best practices consistent with top tier

property management organizations

tInitiate a small-scale demonstration project

that compares an enhanced in-house operat-

ing model with an outsourced private propertymanagement company pilot, inorming the

long-term denition o NYCHAs optimal

property management model

LONGER ERM

We will:

tRe-invest more than $50 million in central

oce and support unction savings toward the

rontline over the next ve years

t

Provide high-quality service to our customersand act on customer eedback to continually

improve service levels

tUtilize the services o private property

management companies where it is economi-

cally easible and increases service levels to

residents (such models are employed by most

public housing authorities across the U.S.)

How can NYCHA

operate or ask

their sta to work

every day without

the tools neces-

sary to do our

jobs?

Joseph Falzarano

Property Maintenance

Supervisor, Berry Houses

2001

15,786

2011

11,900

NYCHAs Workforce

24.6% Decrease

fThe Call to ActionLonger-term investments in NYCHAs rontline

will require support rom a number o partners.

Additional unding or hiring rontline

employees will need to be coupled with re-invest-

ments made possible rom cost savings. NYCHA

will work with stakeholders in ederal, state, and

city government, as well as partners in the private

and non-prot sectors to increase unding or the

training and hiring o NYCHA residents.

Furthermore, NYCHA must work with state

elected leaders, union leaders, employees, and the

City Council to outline and implement changes to

civil service rules. With these partners, NYCHA

must garner support or a perormance manage-

ment system or all NYCHA employees.

NYCHA must engage residents, employees,

advocates, union leaders, and ocials in state

government as we determine the best property

management operating model. Tis may include

transerring the day-to-day property management

responsibilities to experienced private property

management organizations, while ofering NYCHA

staf opportunities in this new management model.

Finally, NYCHA will work with city agency

partners and employees so that NYCHA canbenet as a user o shared city services.


28/56


THE IMPERATIVE:IMPROVE SAFETY AND SECURITYNothing is more important than the saety o

NYCHAs amilies. Security is a cornerstone

o a neighborhoods health and stability. Provid-ing or the saety o our residents, employees,

and visitors remains NYCHAs top priority.

fThe ChallengesTe perception and reality o crime among

residents.More than 75 percent o NYCHA

public housing residents surveyed reported

they were very or somewhat earul o crime

in their development. Nearly 60 percent o

respondents reported that serious crimeshad occurred in their development during

the previous year. Six percent reported

personally being a victim o crime within

their development. We recognize that

our eforts must combat actual crime and

address residents perceptions o crime,

both o which erode their quality o lie.

Coordinating eorts across stakeholders.

We understand that investing in new technol-

ogy and introducing enhanced security measureswill have limited success without the trust and

cooperation o our residents. Saety is everyones

responsibility. NYCHA is actively working with all

public housing community stakeholders, including

the New York Police Department (NYPD), to en-

sure that issues o saety and security are addressed

through a more collaborative approach.

fSafety and Security Task Force

In December 2009, the NYCHA Saety andSecurity ask Force was ormed, incorporating a

core group o key stakeholders that included the

Citywide Council o Presidents, senior leadership

rom the NYPD, and a team o NYCHAs senior

managers. During the past two years, the ask

Force worked to strengthen relationships among

NYCHAs community stakeholders and identiy

We want to

raise children in a

sae environment.

We are still

scared. We want

a more secure

environment

patrols, cameras,

better screening.

Resident at Queens-

bridge HousesCommunity

Conversation

NYCHA Resident Watch and New York City Police Department Joint Mobilization Drill, Edenwald Houses


29/56

Improve Safety and Security


vulnerabilities in current security systems.

Te ask Force has designed strategies to ad-

dress these challenges, and has provided a rame-

work or how NYCHA can consistently improve

saety over the long term. By working collabora-

tivelywith residents and partners at the NYPD,

in the City Council and throughout New York

CityNYCHA has developed a security strategy

that seeks to accomplish our goals:

1. Deter crime

2. Discourage and redress evidence o disorder,

such as broken doors and grati, which can

lead to urther and more serious crime

3. Assist residents in complying with all

NYCHA guidelines

4. Improve NYCHAs physical security

inrastructure

Te key objective will be to improve the quality

o lie or all members o NYCHAs communities

by providing saeguards or their well-being, and

by implementing strategies that will reduce both

the likelihood and incidence o crime.

fThe Plan: NYCHA will work to create

secure, healthy neighborhoods whereresidents, employees, and theirvisitors eel sae, both on NYCHAgrounds and inside buildings.

NOW

We will:

tWork to improve the resident / police ocer

relationship

tDevelop a joint saety strategy each year

prioritizing the most pressing security issuestProvide additional training and better

coordination or Resident Watch teams, and

participate in training and drills with local

Police Service Areas

tPrioritize a number o developments or the

installation o a layered access control system

tConsistently post and clearly communicate

NYCHA Saety and Security Guidelines,

posting them at NYCHA parks and play areas

tDistribute documents highlighting NYCHA

guidelines to residents annually

tEstablish rules governing moving in and

out o NYCHA developments

tMonitor NYCHA parking lots and

consistently enorce parking rules

LONGER ERM

We will:

tStrengthen our relationship with the NYPD

tBoost resident engagement

tSecure additional unding or the layered

access security system, including

installing the system at all NYCHA

developments

monitoring the actual incidence o crime

as well as perceptions o crimeat develop-

ments that receive this new technology

tIncrease communication about saety issues

with residents, enlisting them as partners

in crime prevention

tProvide crime prevention training or

all employees

tDevelop innovative approaches or reducingviolence in the workplace

fThe Call to ActionEnsuring that our communities remain sae is

the ultimate shared responsibility. NYCHAs

approach outlines a model or consistent

improvement in overall community saety.

Achieving and, importantly, maintaining

those gains will require additional support.

First, City ocials and the NYPD must con-tinue to work with NYCHA, resident leaders, and

advocates to implement the recommendations o the

Saety and Security ask Force. Tis will allow us to

build upon the ask Forces work and to address sev-

eral longstanding issues, including NYCHAs Memo-

randum o Understanding (MOU) with the NYPD,

as well as developing an accompanying system that

The issues that

really resonate

with residents are

saety andsecurity. I think

they are con-

cerned about

what NYCHA can

do to improve

saety at the

developments

and really look at

what the accountability should be

in terms o the

residents as well

as the Housing

Authority.

Marguerite MannBorough Director,Brooklyn PropertyManagement


30/56


will measure perormance and saety outcomes.

Second, city and state leaders must work with

HUD to appropriate unding or additional lay-

ered access security improvements, maintenance,

and monitoring. And nally, NYCHA will require

the support o partners to implement a compre-

hensive crime-prevention training program or

all employees.

Increased resident involvement and service

on Resident Watch teams will be central to mak-

ing NYCHA homes more secure. City Council

members, community advocates, resident lead-

ers, and NYCHA employees all have a role to play

in engaging and educating residents on how each

o us has a responsibility to uphold in making

NYCHA neighborhoods saer.

Gora amily, Vladeck Houses


31/56

Optimize Apartment Usage


THE IMPERATIVE: OPTIMIZE APARTMENTUSAGE AND ENSURE RENTAL EQUITYTe need or afordable housing is greater in

New York City than in any other U.S. city,

with approximately one-third o all New York

renters paying 50 percent or more o theirincome towards rent.6 So great is the need

or afordable housing that the total o New

York households eligible or NYCHA as-

sistance currently exceeds 1.7 million, rep-

resenting hal o the citys households.7

By making sure that residents are in appropri-

ately-sized apartments and abiding by equitable

rental policies, NYCHA can maximize occupancy

in its units to accommodate more amilies in need.

fThe ChallengesTe growing waiting lists:NYCHAs public

housing waiting list contains a total o more

than 154,000 amilies and is still growing.

Approximately 125,000 amilies are on the

waiting list or Section 8 vouchers, a gure

that would be signicantly higher i NYCHA

Standard

Occupancy

60%

Under-Occupied

32%

Over-Crowded

8%

% of Total Unitsby Occupancy Standards

NYCHA has more

than 55,000

under-occupied

apartments

Martinez amily, Rutgers Houses

were still accepting new applications (Because

o extraordinary demand, the Section 8

waiting list has been closed or several years.).


32/56


It is critical that NYCHA utilize this scarce

public resource as it was intendedto assist

the greatest number o amilies eligible

or afordable and subsidized housing.

Increasing number o under-occupiedapartments: Currently, more than 55,000

NYCHA amily units are under-occupiedi.e.,

the number o bedrooms in these units exceeds

the needs o the occupants. Hal o these units

are occupied by seniors, many o them living

alone aer their children have moved out.

Recent surveys o both employees and

residents indicate a belie that vacant bedrooms

increase the likelihood o occupation by

unauthorized residents, and also o illegalsubletting, a violation o NYCHA rules and

regulations. Unauthorized residents have cir-

cumvented the extensive waiting list procedure

and have not undergone the mandatory back-

ground checks and screenings. Teir rents more

oen than not do not correspond with their

actual incomes.

Serving more under Section 8:o maximize

the number o amilies served by the Section 8

program, NYCHA must ensure the ecient use

o subsidies provided by the ederal government

through the implementation o cost saving strate-

gies. Savings will be generated through aggressive

program compliance measures, streamlining

existing policies and procedures, and align-

ing rents paid to rental market conditions.

Complex inequities in rent policies:Te task o

ensuring a air-rent policy is complex. According to

ederal policy, public housing residents cannot pay

more than 30 percent o their income toward rent

and rent or Section 8 residents cannot initially ex-

ceed more than 40 percent o their adjusted income.

However to promote mixed income communities,

NYCHA currently enorces a rent policy whereby

the highest-income residents pay the lowest percent-

age o their income towards rent. Almost a third o

public housing residents in New York City currently

pay only 20 percent o their income towards rent,

and amilies with the highest income pay less than

15 percent o their income towards rent.

fThe Plan: To serve more amilies

in need, NYCHA must maximize itslimited resources to ull capacity andconsider changes to policies thatwill ensure a more equitable useo public housing assets.

NOW

We will:

tWork with amilies to encourage and support

transition to right-sized apartments, through

transers to other NYCHA developmentstEstablish greater equity in NYCHAs

rent payment policy

tPhase in a rent increase program or

renters currently paying less than 30 percent

o their income towards rent (this increase

will not impact the two-thirds o NYCHA

residents who already pay 30 percent o

There is not

enough housing

or everybody

here in this city.And when we

consider the cost

o living in certain

areas o this city,

the purpose is to

maintain the

public housing

we have, so that

more tenants canlive in a clean,

sae place; a

place where they

can raise their

amilies without

worrying about

their cost.

Victor A. Gonzalez

NYCHA Board Member

Mercedes Ruiz, Lower East Side I Infll


33/56

Optimize Apartment Usage


fThe Call to ActionEnsuring that the precious resource o public

housing serves the greatest number o amilies

in a air, equitable manner will require the

collaboration o NYCHA, public housing

residents, HUD, and elected leaders at all levels.

First, NYCHA looks orward to partnering

with residents, community advocates and HUD

to implement a strategy that will both ensure rent

equity and allow NYCHA to re-invest locally the

increased revenue rom higher rents.

While the resident transer process will

require signicant nancial costs and changes at

both the operational and policy levels, success

will depend on the support o HUD, HPD,

residents, developers, and advocates to provide

the exibility necessary to transer residents

currently living in under-occupied units.

We will also revise our transer policy and

Section 8 marketing plan to designate under-

occupied units as priorities or available public

housing units, Section 8 vouchers, and other

newly-developed, afordable, subsidized housing.

their income in rent). Rental increases will

be phased-in over a period o time to ensure

stability within mixed-income communities

tMaximize the number o amilies served by

the Section 8 program

tIncrease the number o higher-income

amilies transitioning to homeownership

and private housing

LONGER ERM

We will:

tIncrease the number o amilies in

appropriately-sized NYCHA apartments

tProvide Section 8 vouchers to residents

o under occupied units to transer to

apartments within the broader community

tConsider options such as building senior

housing specially designed to meet the needs

o senior residents, particularly those with

special needs or in under-occupied units

tConsider innovative approaches such as home

sharing, whereby residents not related to

each other agree to occupy a multi-bedroom

apartment as a shared residence


34/56


THE IMPERATIVE: CONNECT RESIDENTSAND COMMUNITIES TO CRITICAL SERVICESNYCHA houses a diverse population and provides

a broad range o services designed to address their

needsrom social services or amilies in crisis,

to supportive services or people with specialneeds, to programs that promote educational

achievement and economic empowerment.

Inormation gathered rom the 2010 Resident

Survey demonstrates that residents believe these

services are critical. Tey provide valuable lie skills,

empower residents, bring people together, and help

build stronger communities. Nearly 90 percent o

residents who responded to the survey cited com-

munity centers as a key on-site service. Approxi-

mately 40 percent o residents cited job training/GED programs as one o the two most valuable

types o programs provided to them; and 38 percent

o residents cited youth programs as critical to qual-

ity o lie o residents. In the Community Conversa-

tions, participants repeatedly noted how important

NYCHA was because o the services and the oppor-

tunities provided to them and their amilies.

With competing needs placing increasing pres-

sure on scarce resources, NYCHA must take a resh

look at the services provided to residents. We must

ensure that residents in need o social and sup-portive se

plannycha: a roadmap for preservation

Documents