Guest Column: Talking About the Trust

The author of this guest column, Eva Trimble, serves as NYCHA’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing day-to-day operations across the Authority’s portfolio, including property management, maintenance, safety and security, support services, and resident services. With decades of experience in public-sector operations and housing administration, Eva leads teams responsible for managing NYCHA developments, ensuring regulatory compliance, and delivering essential services to residents citywide. In this role, she works closely with the Public Housing Preservation Trust to create a model for NYCHA Property Management to effectively oversee the Trust sites, and fully integrate them into NYCHA’s operational structure, while bringing additional resources, accountability, and long-term stability to selected developments. 

What is the Public Housing Preservation Trust and how does it work? 

The Public Housing Preservation Trust is a government agency designed to help preserve and modernize NYCHA housing by unlocking additional federal funding through the Section 8 program, while keeping developments publicly owned, publicly managed, and permanently affordable. Developments enter the Trust only after an affirmative resident vote. Under the Trust, NYCHA continues to manage day-to-day operations with additional resources, policies, and standards that are catered to the Trust developments’ needs. Since the Trust’s inception, NYCHA and Trust staff have focused on building the operational framework, partnering with residents to understand their priorities, and preparing the first sites for transition from traditional public housing to Section 8.  

There are currently four developments under the Trust: Nostrand Houses, Bronx River Addition, Unity Towers, and Hylan Houses. 

What does the Trust mean for me as a NYCHA employee? 

As NYCHA staff, you may be hearing more about the Trust and wondering what it means for your work. The most important thing to know is this: NYCHA will continue to manage Trust sites. Our staff remain responsible for property management, maintenance, inspections, rent collection, compliance, and emergency response just like with the rest of the portfolio. Trust sites will operate within NYCHA’s Neighborhood Model and continue to rely on central operations, skilled trades, emergency management, compliance, and resident services. All the departments that support our work across NYCHA, like Information Technology, Law, and Procurement, will continue to work with us to serve residents at Trust sites. 

What the Trust changes is not who manages these developments but how the work is resourced. Converting Trust sites to the federal Section 8 program provides more stable and predictable funding. This allows NYCHA to add more dedicated, site-specific staff, including property management, maintenance, and resident services roles such as on-site social services. This conversion uses Project-Based Section 8, meaning the subsidy is tied to the unit rather than the individual resident; developments remain publicly managed housing while residents’ rights and affordability protections remain in place. Employees assigned to work directly at Trust developments will get specialized training on Section 8 and processes that are unique to the Trust. Additionally, we can plan for the long-term needs of each development, making sure that we are replacing systems and keeping up with repairs to protect the investments made.  

Across the four developments currently participating in the Trust, property management structures will vary based on site size and operational needs. At larger sites, like Nostrand Houses, the development may be deconsolidated and assigned its own dedicated property management and maintenance staff. At smaller sites, like Bronx River Addition, property management may remain consolidated with an existing development, while incorporating dedicated Trust-funded staff, such as a Housing Assistant, alongside shared resources and staffing to maintain broader support. This flexible, site-specific approach allows NYCHA to tailor staffing and management structures to developments’ particular needs. 

Staff should continue servicing Trust developments as they do today: responding to work orders, completing inspections, and delivering essential services without interruption. Conversion to the Trust does not change the expectation that NYCHA will provide day-to-day services and support to residents prior to conversion. After conversion to Project-Based Section 8, certain standards are higher – including faster turnaround times and re-rental of apartments – but the core of NYCHA’s work remains the same.  

Our work depends on the professionalism, expertise, and commitment of NYCHA employees. The Trust is one tool among many to stabilize developments and improve conditions across the portfolio. 

If you have any questions about the Trust or would like more information, staff can reach out to the Trust team at info@phptrust.nyc.gov.