Connecting Communities at NYCHA

NYCHA is working to update its urban design with residents and their neighbors in mind. Through the Connected Communities initiative, the Authority is comprehensively addressing the community connectivity of over 300 public housing developments across New York City. NYCHA’s new Connected Communities initiative seeks to make big changes to better connect NYCHA residents physically to… MORE

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Comprehensive Repairs for 62,000 Apartments

Innovative public-private partnerships, including the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, are bringing extensive repairs to 62,000 NYCHA apartments, home to about 140,000 residents. This will address nearly $13 billion of much-needed repairs. These apartments will be converted to Section 8 funding and will remain permanently affordable. Residents will keep all their rights as public housing… MORE

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October Is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

NYCHA is joining with the Department of Homeland Security to raise cybersecurity awareness for the 15th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This year’s theme is “Cybersecurity is our shared responsibility and we all must work together to improve our nation’s cybersecurity.” Be on the lookout for NYCHA’s new Cyber Awareness Training program, courtesy of the… MORE

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Domestic Violence Awareness for Seniors

Domestic violence does not discriminate; it affects people of all races, cultures, genders, socioeconomic groups, and ages. During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, NYCHA’s Community Engagement and Partnerships department held events to shine a light on how domestic violence can affect older adults. Approximately 500 seniors from various NYCHA developments attended two domestic… MORE

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Heating Improvements for NYCHA Residents in Advance of Winter

On October 18, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Interim Chair Stanley Brezenoff, and General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo announced heating improvements made this summer and fall across NYCHA to prepare for cold weather. “Every NYCHA resident deserves heat in the winter. Our new leadership at NYCHA have delivered major improvements that will reduce outages and get the… MORE

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Personnel Announcements from the EVP of Operations

Dear Colleagues, As public housing Operations continues to build its leadership team, I want to share the following management appointments: Joey Koch as Senior Vice President for Operations Support Services, Javier Almodovar as Director of Heating Management Services, Sylvia Aude as Director of Management Services, and Robert Mallamo as Acting Director of Maintenance, Repair &… MORE

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Customer Service Week at NYCHA Is October 15-19

NYCHA’s Customer Service Week 2018 will take place October 15-19. Now’s the time to start thinking about Customer Service Week activities! Providing the best possible service to our residents is at the heart of NextGeneration NYCHA’s vision of safe, clean, and connected communities. This year’s Customer Service Week theme is “Exceeding Expectations” – every customer,… MORE

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Announcing the 2018 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars

They are the next generation of community advocates, social workers, medical staff, teachers, accountants, and public servants. But first, they’re NYCHA residents in pursuit of their educational dreams at City of University of New York colleges — and the 2018 recipients of NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarships. The scholarships are given to residents who are full-time CUNY students displaying… MORE

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On-the-Job Experience for Young NYCHA Residents

Whitman Houses resident Skye Carson, 14, wants to be a writer or a lawyer in the future, two careers that require good communication skills. This summer, she greatly improved those skills while working at NYCHA through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). SYEP, which is is operated by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, provides… MORE

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NYCHA’s Sandy Recovery Work Sometimes Comes with a History Lesson

Before NYCHA’s Sandy Recovery and Resiliency team could begin major work at Baruch Houses in June, they called in urban archaeologist Dr. Joan Geismar to ensure that nothing of historical significance would be disturbed during construction. Baruch Houses is located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan near the East River. Like most of New York City’s neighborhoods, it… MORE

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National Night Out at NYCHA

National Night Out events bring together residents and their local police precincts to strengthen relationships and promote safer communities. On August 7, NYCHA General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo and other NYCHA executives celebrated the 35thAnnual National Night Out with residents, NYPD officers, community board representatives, and elected officials in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. At… MORE

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A Nice Place to Play

NYCHA General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo (third from right in the top row above) and Council Member Antonio Reynoso (left of GM Mustaciuolo) celebrated Hylan Houses’ new playground alongside some happy kids from the neighborhood. The $325,000 playground renovation, which was funded by Council Member Reynoso, features a new sprinkler, equipment, hop-scotch court, game tables, benches, pavement, and safety surfacing.

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NYCHA Celebrates New Affordable Housing for Veterans and Young Adults

NYCHA staff helped cut the ribbon at the grand opening for Walton House, a new supportive housing development in the Bronx for formerly homeless veterans and young adults. NYCHA provided project-based Section 8 vouchers for the entire development. Walton House is New York City’s first supportive housing development to open under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s… MORE

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Safety Symposium Puts Spotlight on Safety

About 300 NYCHA employees attended the Authority’s fifth annual Safety Symposium on June 28 at the Johnson Community Center in East Harlem. Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff and Teamsters Local 237 President Gregory Floyd and Vice President Ruben Torres welcomed attendees – property managers, supervisors, and safety associates from across the city as well… MORE

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Personnel Announcements

Dear Colleagues, I am excited to announce the appointment of new senior executives to our leadership team: Plachikkat V. (PV) Anantharam as Executive Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Kelly MacNeal as Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, and Vilma Huertas as Executive Vice President for Compliance and Chief Compliance… MORE

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Community Conversations on Smoke-Free NYCHA

If you haven’t already heard, all public housing across the country—including NYCHA homes—will go smoke-free as of July 30, 2018, following a requirement from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Smoke-Free NYCHA is designed to create healthier homes for residents and healthier working environments for employees by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke. The program… MORE

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Housing Court 101

NYCHA employees are getting some valuable information about housing court proceedings. This spring, Deputy General Counsel Sam Mordi, along with Landlord and Tenant Division Chief Tracy Forrest, brought some clarity to a complicated process. In nine sessions covering all five boroughs, more than 500 property managers, assistant property managers, and housing assistants got tips on… MORE

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A Watchful Eye

A series of large screens on the wall monitor the CCTV security camera feeds from NYCHA’s central offices (250 Broadway, 90 Church Street, and Long Island City) as well as from the walk-in centers in Brooklyn and the Bronx; on the computer monitors below, footage from security cameras at 40 developments across the city can… MORE

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A Fresh, New Look

Through the NGO property management model, property managers can use their budgets to create “model” buildings, upgrading and renovating common area spaces to make them more welcoming to residents. Two buildings at Manhattan’s East River Houses got brand-new floor tiles and a fresh coat of paint (see above), and more paint improvements are coming to… MORE

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Teamwork Is Beautiful

With just some paint, brushes, and a can-do attitude, NYCHA staff, residents, and other members of the community created a beautiful, nature-themed mural at Manhattan’s St. Nicholas Houses. In the words of Housing Manager Vivian Sifontes: “I got my staff involved in this mural painting project – as well as our Neighborhood Coordination Officers, partners… MORE

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REES Zone Coordinator Honored for Service to the Community

Evelyn Melendez was born and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one of the neighborhoods she serves as a REES Zone Coordinator (the others are Bed-Stuy and Bushwick). She connects residents of 30 developments to partner organizations in their communities, enabling residents to pursue careers and empower themselves and their families economically.   Her dedicated service has not… MORE

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Better Living Through Technology

Residents in several Manhattan and Brooklyn developments will benefit from new high-tech innovations designed to enhance their health and quality of life through improved maintenance and operations. Three companies – winners of NYCHA’s Tech Pilots competition – are each developing a program under the guidance of Capital Projects’ Energy and Sustainability Department in partnership with… MORE

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High Tech at Your Fingertips

The IT Department recently finished installing 5,700 new desktop computers for all NYCHA computer users. The rollout, which began at developments and concluded at the central offices, provides every computer user with upgraded technology and features. The Dell machines are outfitted with the latest Microsoft software, including Windows 10 and Office 365 programs like Word,… MORE

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Residents Can Apply Now for the NYCHA-CUNY Scholarships!

NYCHA offers multiple scholarships to support our residents as they increase their income and assets through higher education. All scholarships award one-time $1,000 grants to eligible residents who are pursuing undergraduate degrees at a City University of New York (CUNY) college. NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship – for NYCHA residents who are full-time undergraduates at a CUNY… MORE

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A WIN for Former Chair Olatoye

NYCHA’s branch of the NAACP presented former Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye with the association’s first WIN (“Women in NAACP/Women in Non-traditional Jobs”) leadership award on April 25. Branch President Lynn Spivey thanked Ms. Olatoye for her “outstanding performance and unparalleled leadership,” highlighting several of her accomplishments that align with the NAACP’s vision, including increased… MORE

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Cold Day, Warm Hearts

On a sunny, cold early April day, more than 100 people attended a Wellness Fair outside Grant Houses. Organized by the Manhattan North Youth Leadership Council (YLC) in partnership with Moshulu Montefiore Community Center and the Grant Houses Resident Association, the fair featured plenty of activities to keep warm. A “marketplace” of vendors provided information… MORE

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Electrical Connections

Nine NYCHA residents recently became members of Local Union 3 IBEW, the electrical workers’ union, with help from a new NYCHA partnership. Constellation NewEnergy, a NYCHA Energy Performance Contracts partner, worked with the Authority to offer an eight-week academic preparation course to prepare residents to take the competitive Local 3 aptitude test. The company partnered with… MORE

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Erenisse Tavarez: NYCHA’s First Women’s History Month Awardee

Erenisse Tavarez, Acting Senior Vice President for Operations, was honored as the first-ever recipient of NYCHA’s Women’s History Month award. Chair Shola Olatoye presented the award to Ms. Tavarez along with a proclamation of gratitude from Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Public Housing. “We are so honored to thank you… MORE

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Celebrating the Employees Who Support NYCHA’s Families

On March 29, the Family Partnerships Department honored NYCHA’s social workers during a lively National Social Work Month breakfast celebration at the 90 Church Street Ceremonial Room. This year’s national theme – “Social Workers: Leaders, Advocates, Champions” – reflects NYCHA’s core values and the roles that the Authority’s social workers inhabit on a daily basis.… MORE

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Cathy Pennington Appointed EVP of Operations

Cathy Pennington has been appointed Executive Vice President (EVP) of Operations. In this role, Cathy will oversee the activities of the Operations Division, comprised of approximately 8,700 staff in three divisions: Property Management, Support Services, and the NextGeneration Operations (NGO) Department. Cathy has served as Acting EVP of Operations since December 2017. She first joined… MORE

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Make a Difference in Your Workplace – Join the Employee Engagement Committee

We are excited to announce the application period for the second cohort of NYCHA’s Employee Engagement Committee (EEC). This is an opportunity for NYCHA employees from all titles to help your colleagues be productive and creative in their work; enhance their own professional development; and assist NYCHA in achieving its goal of preserving public housing… MORE

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