Meet Cherry McCutchen, Director of Learning and Development

June is National Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising and recognizes the impact and contributions of individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+). In honor of Pride Month, we’re highlighting the work of NYCHA’s LGBTQ+ employees.    “I’m ‘Cherry.’ I don’t ascribe to labels or pronouns. If someone asks how… MORE

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NYCHA Celebrates New Community Garden at Manhattanville Houses

NYCHA has a long-standing commitment to fostering resident access to green spaces at its developments. A 2017 survey of NYCHA gardens, conducted by the NYC Parks Department’s GreenThumb program, counted 595 gardens at 146 NYCHA developments. One recent community garden was created at Manhattanville Houses in West Harlem by former NYCHA residents in partnership with… MORE

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Indoor Air Quality at NYCHA

NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department’s Indoor Air Quality Oversight Team (IAQOT) identifies and addresses hazards that impact air quality, such as mold, leaks, asbestos, toxic gases, and other airborne contaminants. The IAQOT includes one administrator and five specialists, who perform a range of health hazards investigations and oversight of mold remediations to ensure that… MORE

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$434 Million in Comprehensive Renovations Completed at 9 Developments

Resident Association Leaders, PACT Partners Deliver Comprehensive Apartment Upgrades, Renovated Community Spaces, and Infrastructure Enhancements That Will Improve Public Safety and Quality of Life for More Than 6,000 Brooklynites On May 20, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Alicka Ampry-Samuel, NYCHA Chair and CEO Greg… MORE

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Meet the OEM Field Coordinators Team

NYCHA’s Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) Field Coordinators program improves the coordination of response efforts to emergency incidents across the Authority. Before becoming a permanent program, the initiative was launched in 2019 as a six-month pilot program, with 12 on-call field coordinators managing day-to-day communications between different responding departments (and, in some cases, other City agencies).… MORE

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Celebrating Graduates of NYCHA’s Construction Training

Sixteen NYCHA residents recently graduated from the NYCHA Resident Training Academy’s (NRTA) construction training. The training was conducted by the Business & Industry Workforce Training Center at CUNY’s New York City College of Technology. The NRTA is a collaboration among NYCHA, the Robin Hood Foundation, and a variety of premier training providers in New York… MORE

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NYCHA’s Mattress Recycling Featured in Circular City Week

On May 3, NYCHA’s mattress recycling program, NYC’s first and only mattress recycling program, was discussed during Circular City Week, an open collaborative festival dedicated to topics about circular economy (that is, an economy where goods are reused and recycled as much as possible). Circular City Week is the biggest circular economy festival in the… MORE

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Preschoolers at Smith Houses Compost Food Scraps

The Hamilton-Madison House preschool, located at NYCHA’s Smith Houses in Manhattan, installed a compost bin so preschoolers can compost food scraps from their lunches and snacks. The bin was established with funding from City Council Member Christopher Marte and is maintained by Earth Matter, a non-profit dedicated to advancing composting in the metropolitan area. The… MORE

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Discussing Data Sharing with NYCHA’s Chief Information Officer

NYCHA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Patti Bayross recently participated in City & State’s Creating a Culture of Data Sharing panel, which brought together data and information leaders in public service to discuss how to foster a data-sharing culture in government.   Ms. Bayross spoke about how information technology and data sharing at… MORE

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Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit Available for NYCHA Residents

NYCHA residents from Harlem, the Upper East Side, and Queens can now check their prostate health at the Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit. The mobile van – which is the result of collaboration between NYCHA, the “One Hundred Black Men” non-profit, and Mount Sinai’s Department of Urology – was launched… MORE

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NYCHA’s Waste Calculator to Efficiently Manage Waste and Increase Recycling

Waste management is one of the most complex challenges that NYCHA faces. Since the release of NYCHA’s 2.0 Waste Management Plan in 2019 and NYCHA’s new Sustainability Agenda in 2021, NYCHA is making comprehensive changes to its waste management practices and infrastructure. One outcome of these changes has been the NYCHA Waste Calculator. NYCHA generates… MORE

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$72 Million of Heating System Improvements Coming to Marble Hill and Berry Houses

On April 19, NYCHA and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) announced the start of construction on energy-efficient heating upgrades at Marble Hill Houses in the Bronx and Berry Houses on Staten Island. The $72 million projects will provide greater heat and hot water service for more than 4,000 residents across 2,100 public housing apartments… MORE

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NYCHA Chair Russ Discusses Housing Preservation at Crain’s Power Breakfast

On April 6, NYCHA’s Chair and Chief Executive Officer Gregory Russ was interviewed by Crain’s New York Business Editor-in-Chief Cory Schouten as part of this year’s first “Crain’s Power Breakfast.” Approximately 150 business and nonprofit executives and government leaders attended the event, including Jessica Katz, the City’s Chief Housing Officer. Chair Russ discussed how a… MORE

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13 NYCHA-owned Houses to Be Rehabilitated and Sold to Low- and Moderate-income New Yorkers

Sixteen eligible families will have an opportunity to purchase their first home through “Habitat Net Zero,” a project bringing long-term affordable homeownership opportunities to Southeast Queens. Through the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Open Door program, 13 vacant, dilapidated, previously NYCHA-owned houses will be rehabilitated into 16 new Passive House standards homes… MORE

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Meet Kimberly Taylor, Director of Public Housing Tenancy Operations

Kimberly Taylor, who grew up at Manhattan’s Johnson Houses, is now the Authority’s Director of Public Housing Tenancy Operations. But when her NYCHA career journey began nearly four decades ago, she was an Emergency Services Aide in the Emergency Services Department (ESD). Back then, in 1984, work tickets were written out by hand and then… MORE

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Free Internet Installed at 3 NYCHA Developments

On March 26, three Manhattan NYCHA developments – Riis, Wald, and Baruch Houses – celebrated the launch of free internet service for residents provided by Flume Internet. The initiative is part of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households with a discount on broadband service and connected devices. ACP seeks to ensure that… MORE

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Women’s History Month: A Spotlight on Women at NYCHA

This year’s National Women’s History theme, “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless and vital work of caregivers and front-line workers (especially during a pandemic) as well as a recognition of the countless ways that women have provided healing and hope throughout history. We’d like to honor the contributions to… MORE

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NYCHA’s Chief Information Officer Talks About Our Tech

NYCHA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Patti Bayross recently participated in City & State’s 2022 Digital New York Summit, which brought together technology and information leaders for thought-provoking conversations about their work. Ms. Bayross was part of a panel titled “Using Technology to Impact our Communities,” which provided her the opportunity to present… MORE

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Inspiring a Compliance Culture

Read the Compliance Department’s Quarterly Newsletter Restart of PHAS REAC Inspections Background Nearly two years after being put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) restarted Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections at NYCHA developments in January 2022. With the restart… MORE

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Green City Force Graduates its 22nd Cohort of NYCHA Residents

In March, Green City Force (GCF) celebrated the graduation of its 22nd Cohort via Zoom, 22 members who began their service to NYCHA communities during the pandemic. GCF is an AmeriCorps program that provides NYCHA residents ages 18 to 24 with full-time service projects, training, and education on sustainability and green technologies, as well as… MORE

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NYCHA Observes World Water Day

March 22 is World Water Day, an opportunity to reflect on the importance of access to safe, fresh water. Stormwater management solutions, for example, are a vital part of NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda, and several initiatives focused on this important work are currently underway. One of them is NYCHA’s  Climate Adaptation Plan, which outlines the Authority’s approach to… MORE

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Chair Russ Featured on “YIMBY Nation” Podcast

NYCHA’s Chair and Chief Executive Officer Greg Russ was recently featured in an episode of “YIMBY Nation,” a podcast hosted by Jimmy Lee Miller, Vincencia Adusei, and Peter J. Wood that provides a forum for affordable housing professionals to discuss their work. During the half-hour conversation, Chair Russ highlighted the Authority’s efforts to revitalize its buildings, the… MORE

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Meet Lisa Bova-Hiatt, Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel

Twenty-seven years ago, when Lisa Bova-Hiatt started her career at the New York City Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel, she didn’t know the turns her career would take over the years – but she knew for sure that she wanted to serve the city where she was born and grew up. Since then,… MORE

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Healthy Start @ NYCHA Program Launches with Baby Shower at Ingersoll Houses

On March 5, NYCHA’s Health Initiatives team, in partnership with over 20 organizations, hosted a Baby Shower Resource Fair at Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn. Expecting and pregnant NYCHA residents from across the city received baby and child supplies such as diapers, blankets, books, baby bouncers, pajamas, stuffed animals, baby bags, medicine kits, gift cards, baby… MORE

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Presenting NYCHA’s Decarbonization Efforts

Two NYCHA leaders – Vice President for Energy and Sustainability Vlada Kenniff and Acting Deputy Director of Energy and Sustainability Edwin Mendez – discussed the Authority’s work on decarbonization and sustainability at two notable public events recently.  Edwin Mendez attended the “AEG Thought Summit 2022: Critical Infrastructure, Equity and Resilience,” where he discussed NYCHA’s energy… MORE

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PACT Partners to Provide $360M in Comprehensive Repairs for Reid Apartments and Park Rock Consolidated

Over 3,600 residents will receive renovated apartments, building infrastructure upgrades, and redesigned public spaces A team with several New York-based MBEs and the Local Development Corporation of East New York will guide the scope of repairs and coordinate social services On March 2, NYCHA formally announced the selection of BRP Companies, Urbane, and Fairstead as… MORE

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NYCHA NAACP Branch’s Black Health and Wellness Event

On February 23, NYCHA’s branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) hosted an event focused on Black health and wellness as part of their Black History Month celebrations. The event was held at NYCHA’s offices at 1200 Waters Place in the Bronx. Guest speakers included Chief Operating Officer Daniel Sherrod;… MORE

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Chair Russ Participates in Future of Construction Summit

On February 24, NYCHA’s Chair and Chief Executive Officer Greg Russ participated in a virtual panel discussion organized by “City and State,” a media organization covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. The event, titled “Future of Construction in New York,” was moderated by Deputy State Politics Reporter Rebecca Lewis. The panel consisted… MORE

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NYCHA and HDC Finalize Deal to Begin $236 Million Renovation at Harlem River

On February 17, NYCHA and the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) closed on the financing of the latest Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) transaction to fund comprehensive renovations for 690 apartments (as well as the construction of three apartments) at Harlem River Houses and the adjoining Harlem River II campus. This latest conversion… MORE

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NYCHA Establishes PACT Resource Team to Facilitate Resident Involvement in PACT

NYCHA has partnered with local organizations to launch the new PACT Resource Team. The team is currently recruiting technical advisors who will consult with and support residents in developments selected for PACT (the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together program). NYCHA’s partners in the initiative include Local Initiatives Support Corporation New York City (LISC NYC), Public Works… MORE

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NYCHA Is Now Recycling Mattresses at Dozens of Developments

Since July 2021, NYCHA has collected and recycled more than 2,800 old mattresses (150 tons worth) from 27 developments in all five boroughs through its mattress recycling program. Instead of taking up to 90 years to decompose in landfills, 80 percent of the collected mattresses were recycled or repurposed, creating carpet padding and soundproofing materials.… MORE

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NYCHA Reopens Annual Request for Qualifications for a Range of PACT Partners

NYCHA has pre-qualified 201 entities, 37 minority- and women-owned firms, and 38 non-profit social service providers in the effort to bring comprehensive repairs and resources to 62,000 apartments with PACT On January 19, NYCHA announced the re-release of the PACT Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit partners for the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. The RFQ supports the… MORE

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NYCHA Boosts Emergency Response with Field Coordinators Program

NYCHA’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) created a permanent Emergency Field Coordinators program to improve the coordination of response to emergency incidents across the Authority. The initiative was tested in 2020 when OEM launched a six-month pilot program, hiring 12 on-call field coordinators who managed day-to-day communications between different responding agencies. After the pilot program… MORE

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Ensuring Safety at NYCHA Through Compliance Visits

Since January 2020, a team of NYCHA’s compliance, safety, and quality assurance experts have been making regular visits to NYCHA developments to inspect their buildings and grounds. Since the start of the program, 39 NYCHA developments have been inspected and assessed according to protocols.  NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety team checks for issues related to… MORE

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Inspiring a Compliance Culture

Read the Compliance Department’s Quarterly Newsletter Development Risk Scoring Assessment Background Compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations and NYCHA’s standard procedures (SP) is vital to NYCHA’s mission to provide safe and affordable housing to its residents. To help meet this goal, the Compliance Integration Reporting and Evaluation (CIRE) Unit in the Compliance… MORE

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NYCHA STAT Monthly Meetings Return

Throughout 2021, the Authority’s executive team held monthly virtual meetings to conduct a transparent review of performance at the NYCHA-wide, borough, neighborhood, and development levels.  During these NYCHA Statistics, Trends, and Tracking (STAT) meetings, over a hundred employees from various departments, including property management, gather to review and explain trends on key performance metrics such… MORE

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New PACT Projects to Bring Repairs & Quality Property Management for 3,100 Apartments

The latest Request for Expressions of Interest will maintain the Authority’s focus on proposals that showcase robust resident engagement approaches, diverse partnership teams, and community-enhancing urban designs. On December 22, NYCHA released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to attract development partners for new projects under the Authority’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program… MORE

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Hernandez Houses Residents Celebrate New Playground

On December 17, residents and staff of Rafael Hernandez Houses in Manhattan organized a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the comprehensive grounds renovations at the development. The million-dollar project, which was funded by Council Member Margaret Chin, involved renovation of the entire front yard, including replacement of the entrance stairs and handicap ramp and creation of… MORE

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NYCHA & Partners Announce Innovation Challenge for “Clean Energy” Heating/Cooling Systems

On December 20, NYCHA, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) launched the Clean Heat for All Challenge (#CleanHeat4All), an industry competition directed at heating and cooling equipment manufacturers to develop a new electrification product that can better serve the needs of existing multifamily buildings… MORE

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$260 Million in Comprehensive Repairs Coming to Frederick Samuel Apartments

On December 17, NYCHA formally announced the selection of Genesis Companies and Lemor Development Group as the development team to deliver comprehensive building and apartment upgrades for nearly 1,400 residents and more than 660 apartments at Frederick Samuel Apartments in Manhattan. The selected PACT partners will further engage residents and continue to refine their plans… MORE

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Green Infrastructure Installations Help Tackle Excess Stormwater

On November 8, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced its progress on drainage upgrades at 19 NYCHA properties. The $29 million project involves the construction of “green infrastructure” installations that will capture approximately 55 million gallons of stormwater in a typical year, easing pressure on neighborhood sewers during rainstorms and extreme… MORE

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$445 Million in Comprehensive Repairs Coming to Edenwald Houses

On December 10, NYCHA formally announced the selection of Camber Property Group, Henge Development, and SAA | EVI Development as the development team to deliver comprehensive building and apartment upgrades for nearly 4,800 residents and more than 2,000 apartments at Edenwald Houses in the Bronx. The selected partners will further engage with residents and continue… MORE

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$366 Million in Investments Coming to Four NYCHA Developments in Chelsea

On December 1, NYCHA and resident leaders for Elliott-Chelsea and Fulton Houses announced the selection of Essence Development and The Related Companies as the development team that will deliver comprehensive building and apartment upgrades for nearly 4,500 residents living in more than 2,054 apartments at four NYCHA campuses: Chelsea, Chelsea Addition, Elliott, and Fulton Houses… MORE

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NYCHA Residents Take Construction Business Training

Twenty NYCHA public housing and nine Section 8 residents were selected to participate in the Construction Business Pathways (CBP) program, which is helping them build and grow their own construction businesses. The program is being implemented by the Fund for Public Housing (the Fund) and NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES), with… MORE

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Making a Difference

Meet Janine Rodriguez, Housing Manager in Manhattan Property Management We’re periodically featuring the female property managers who help NYCHA carry out its mission to better serve residents and strengthen our partnership with them. NYCHA supports and encourages women in leadership positions in all departments, including property management. Currently, there are about 260 women working as… MORE

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Read the Privacy Office’s First newsletter

Greetings from the Privacy Office Welcome to the Privacy Office’s first newsletter! Who are we? NYCHA’s Privacy Office was established to ensure the Authority meets its ongoing responsibility to safeguard and properly handle personally identifiable information (“PII”). The Privacy Office is the focal point for NYCHA’s privacy compliance-related activities and partners with all of NYCHA’s… MORE

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NYCHA Employees Participated in Business Engagement Learning Lab

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, when unemployment was at record highs and many employers were operating primarily on a remote platform, Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI) launched its 2021 cohort of the Business Engagement Learning Lab (BELL) development series, which focused on the theme of “Refining Employer Marketing & Outreach.”… MORE

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NYCHA Installs Flood Panels to Protect Developments from Heavy Rain

Since 2018, 16 NYCHA campuses have been outfitted with storm surge protection measures (over 8,200 deployable components at a total of 103 buildings). For the 2021 Hurricane season, NYCHA installed 3,700 deployable floodproofing panels at 67 buildings at 12 developments to protect them from flood risks, as part of the Authority’s Recovery and Resilience program. These… MORE

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NYCHA Releases Climate Adaptation Plans for Addressing Extreme Weather Hazards

The strategic plans informed by NYCHA’s climate resiliency work on developments affected by Hurricane Sandy take a three-pronged approach to retrofitting buildings against rising sea levels, hotter temperatures, and heavier rainfalls expected in the coming decades. On October 25, NYCHA announced the release of three major reports outlining the Authority’s approach to protecting its portfolio… MORE

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Residents’ Ideas Included in NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda

Mott Haven Houses resident Brigitte Vicenty has been an advocate for a greener NYCHA for a long time. Ten years ago, Ms. Vicenty founded a non-profit organization called “Inner City Green Team” to address low recycling rates and teach and promote recycling education among NYCHA residents. Recently, after completing a five-part workshop series called “Network for Climate Action,”… MORE

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Personnel Announcements

Dear Colleagues,   We are pleased to announce the following new appointments to NYCHA’s executive team:  Ester Tomicic-Hines was appointed Vice President of the Public Housing Tenancy Administration on October 18. In this role, Ester will focus on developing and implementing key initiatives to improve service delivery, streamline workflows, and create a more efficient administration process.… MORE

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Making a Difference for Residents

Meet Shekeiva King NYCHA is celebrating National Customer Service Week 2021 during the week of October 18-22. This year’s theme, “Power of Service,” reaffirms and celebrates our commitment to excellent customer service. As part of the celebrations, we are highlighting NYCHA Changemakers – employees who use our core values to create meaningful, sustainable change in… MORE

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Making a Difference for Residents

Meet Linda Padilla NYCHA is celebrating National Customer Service Week 2021 during the week of October 18-22. This year’s theme, “Power of Service,” reaffirms and celebrates our commitment to excellent customer service. As part of the celebrations, we are highlighting NYCHA Changemakers – employees who use our core values to create meaningful, sustainable change in… MORE

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Improving the Repair Process

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce exciting changes at NYCHA: We are rolling out a new repair process, starting with Queens and Staten Island. This project primarily impacts Maintenance Workers, Skilled Trades, and Planners. Lengthy unfinished work orders are a challenge for NYCHA residents and employees alike. Residents are often frustrated with the delays… MORE

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New Fitness Hub for Seniors at Pink Houses

On October 13, NYCHA leadership joined representatives from East New York Restoration Local Development Corporation (ENYRLDC), the Department for the Aging (DFTA), Maimonides Medical Center/Community Care of Brooklyn, Assembly Member Charles Barron, and New York City Councilwoman Inez Barron to celebrate the opening of a Fitness Hub for seniors at Pink Houses. The outdoor area… MORE

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