Ask the Chair
Chair Russ Answers Your Questions
Every month, Chair Greg Russ will respond to questions from staff on topics like operations, the future of the agency, and how we’re overcoming everyday challenges. Have a question for Chair Russ about NYCHA? Send it to AsktheChair@nycha.nyc.gov and check back here to see if it was selected to be answered. Please be advised that featured questions will be published with the names of the employees who submitted them. Here is the selection for May:
From Clairmonte Paul, Community Coordinator, Lead Hazard Control Department: “My follow-up question is for one of your comments [in the first “Ask the Chair” column]: ‘…and so you have to make the changes necessary to improve the organization as well as residents’ homes.’ I love that. So my question is, how do you plan on improving the residents’ homes?”
Chair Russ: “Our buildings are old – most of them were built more than a half century ago – and they are in dire need of major repairs and improvements. The reality is that, due to decades of underfunding, they’ve missed out on multiple cycles of investment, the kinds of regular upgrades and such that all buildings need every 20 years or so to remain in a state of good repair and provide residents the living conditions they deserve. And it’s clear that we cannot rely on federal funding alone to properly maintain our properties.
“It’s really powerful what we can do for our residents and their quality of life when we put money back into our buildings, remedying serious issues like mold and leaks, lead, pests, and elevator and heating outages. To do that, we must carry out comprehensive modernization of our buildings, like we’re doing at St. Nicholas and Todt Hill Houses. And to bring top-to-bottom renovations to all of our buildings, we must use every tool at our disposal, from PACT to the Public Housing Preservation Trust we’ve proposed. These initiatives are critical because they generate the funding needed to dramatically improve residents’ homes and quality of life while preserving their rights and protections. And this large-scale investment not only transforms residents’ homes but can also transform their lives – the construction work and implementation of new technologies is a very powerful economic stimulus that generates training and job opportunities for NYCHA families.
“At the same time, we are improving the way we work through our Transformation Plan. That includes our Work Order Reform initiative, which enables us to perform skilled trades repairs faster while simplifying the repair scheduling process for residents. We’re also changing our janitorial scheduling to allow for caretaker schedules that work best for the unique needs of each site. Caretakers will also be assigned to specific buildings, providing greater accountability to ensure our buildings are clean and well maintained.
“The major capital investments and upgrades, together with the operational reforms to ensure we’re working as smart and efficiently as possible, enable us to improve our residents’ homes and their overall experience of living at NYCHA. Thank you to you and your colleagues for the vital role you play in this progress.”
