Adi Talwar
A view of NYCHA's Wagner Houses in East Harlem from the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.
News, investigations and analysis about the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the nation’s largest public housing system. This series is generously supported by the New York Community Trust (NYCT).
NYCHA’s target time is 30 days for apartment turnover. But as of April, it took the housing authority an average of 410 days to re-occupy a vacant apartment, up significantly from the start of the year and more than double what it took a year ago.
While New Yorkers are on the rebound from job loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment rates in NYCHA continue to plague residents, particularly among Black and Latino men, a new report finds.
While the total won’t be clear until remaining applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) are processed, a majority of the $391 in aid will likely go to the housing authority and other public housing tenants, with $35 million specifically earmarked for NYCHA. Still, thousands of New Yorkers living in public or subsidized housing did not apply for ERAP but continue to struggle with mounting debt.
The board so far includes three city housing officials, two tenants association presidents and the head of a nonprofit. NYCHA aims to initially transfer up to 25,000 units to the Trust, what supporters say will unlock federal housing subsidies to fund billions in renovations.
A través de políticas actualizadas, HUD requerirá que los propietarios, incluidas las autoridades de vivienda pública como NYCHA y los propietarios que aceptan vales de vivienda afiliados a HUD, adopten un enfoque más holístico cuando investiguen a los posibles inquilinos.
Through updated policies, HUD will require landlords—including public housing authorities like NYCHA, and property owners who accept HUD-affiliated housing vouchers—to take a more holistic approach when vetting potential renters.
Niani Taylor, who lives in Brooklyn’s Van Dyke Houses, is among the small but growing number of NYCHA residents who report income from self-employment. Advocates say the Housing Authority could foster more entrepreneurs by expanding initiatives like its Business Pathways program, which helped Taylor grow her catering company. “I put my all into it.”
More than 36,000 NYCHA apartments have either undergone conversion or are in the process of being converted to the RAD-PACT program, which officials say has helped drive billions in needed repairs. But tenants—some of whom will get a chance to vote this year on whether they want their developments to join the initiative—remain distrustful of the change.
The rally comes after state lawmakers released budget proposals that include up to $389 million for public housing and Section 8 residents who were left out from the state’s pandemic-era Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). But tenants are pushing for more, pointing to estimates that public housing tenants across New York owe nearly $590 million in rent.
In a budget resolution unveiled last week, the State Senate earmarked $389 million for public housing and Section 8 tenants statewide who applied for, but were left out from, New York’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The Assembly proposed $385 million for the same purpose.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
