Public Service Is an Honor and Privilege

Dear Colleagues,

This is an unfortunate moment for New York City, and I join the NYCHA community in expressing my sadness over the current turmoil in New York City government.

On behalf of NYCHA’s executive and senior leadership, I write today to reaffirm our unwavering support for, and commitment to, the Authority’s workforce, and to the hundreds of thousands of public housing residents that we proudly serve each and every day.

In recent years, New Yorkers have faced unimaginable challenges and, without fail, our resilience and fortitude always prevail. It is my firm belief that our city’s progress and successes are due to the dedication and expertise of our municipal workforce.

Like so many NYCHA employees, I, too, am a long-time public servant. I have worked in many areas of government and have seen first-hand how the extraordinary dedication and leadership of employees – from the front lines to the front offices – have compelled them to step up and keep this city running, under every circumstance. I have seen this remarkable work ethic exemplified by NYCHA staff in both our day-to-day challenges as well as during major crises like the COVID-19 pandemic – and I have full faith that we will continue to persevere.

NYCHA has worked tirelessly to improve our business operations, service delivery and management structure – all to improve residents’ quality of life and preserve public housing for the generations to come. And we know that there is much more work to be done for our community.

As you know, NYCHA works in close collaboration with its oversight partners, including the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and federal monitor Jenner & Block, to fulfill the obligations of the 2019 HUD Agreement. We remain laser-focused on delivering this transformative work. This is, and will continue to be, our top priority, and nothing will distract us from this mission.

Public service is an honor and a privilege. We are fortunate to wake up each and every day with the opportunity to serve our neighbors and the city we love. Every single job, issue and task that we perform at NYCHA is important and must always be completed with utmost integrity. I have complete confidence that we will continue to serve our public housing residents and that our NYCHA workforce will continue to demonstrate the positive impact that government can achieve.

Thank you for your hard work. Let’s continue to make NYCHA and New York City proud.

Sincerely,

Lisa Bova-Hiatt
Chief Executive Officer