A NYCHA Scribe Puts Down His Pen
“When you cover the news for long enough, you become the news,” declared Associate Staff Analyst (and staff writer) Howard Silver. After 23 years at NYCHA, Mr. Silver retired in June.
Born and raised in Nassau County, Long Island, Mr. Silver recognized his passion for writing early on. After studying writing at the University of Pittsburgh, he went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts from the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Upon graduation, Mr. Silver taught writing at a number of universities, including Fairleigh Dickinson University, Queens College, and the University of Texas at Austin, before taking an HR position at Rikers Island. After working in HR for both the City’s Department of Corrections and the Fire Department, Mr. Silver joined the HR Department here at NYCHA, eventually transferring to the Department of Communications. Mr. Silver contributed to a number of NYCHA initiatives, including the rejuvenation of the NYCHANow employee bulletin, which he wrote for and edited.
“I have always had a passion for stories that reflect employees’ perspectives because that is the best way to put a human face on the agency,” said Mr. Silver.
During his tenure at NYCHA, Mr. Silver worked through a number of significant events, including Hurricane Sandy and 9/11. He covered big stories, such as fiscal crises, employee initiatives, sustainability initiatives, operational changes, building renovation initiatives, and the NextGeneration NYCHA strategic plan. Some of Mr. Silver’s most memorable pieces for the employee bulletin involved employees catching babies out of fifth-story apartment windows and their outstanding responses to fires and gas and electric outages.
Mr. Silver reflected that there have been many changes at NYCHA over the years, including changes in organization, leadership, and funding, but despite major shifts “some things don’t change. Employees remain dedicated to the organization’s mission and belief in affordable housing, and continue to play a central role in bringing any plan to fruition.”
His final words for NYCHANow: “I will miss the colleagueship and working with people with a common sense of purpose who are dedicated to telling the story of the city and its residents.”
