Chair Russ Speaks at CityLaw Breakfast

NYCHA Chair Greg Russ recently spoke at the 181st CityLaw Breakfast presented virtually by the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School. The breakfast was held on July 14 and is part of a series that features prominent speakers discussing current government and political issues. The event was moderated by Professor Ross Sandler, Founder and Director of the Center for New York City Law. 

Chair Russ began his talk with an overview of the history of public housing, including the 1937 Housing Act, which allowed the federal government to give subsidies to local public housing agencies to provide safe, decent, and sanitary housing to low-income families. Although these laws constructed public housing, there was no mechanism established to reinvest in the buildings, leading to the current challenges confronted by public housing authorities across the nation: a significant lack of capital funding for their buildings’ major repair needs over the past several decades. 

Chair Russ then moved on to more recent history: NYCHA’s 2019 agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which focuses on improving services to residents (including heat and elevator services and pest and waste management) and addressing lead-based paint and mold. 

NYCHA needs over $40 billion to fully restore and renovate all its buildings. Out of conversations with residents, housing officials, and other stakeholders came the idea of a “sister agency” called the Public Housing Preservation Trust, which Chair Russ said will “reinvest in our properties and save the buildings; no units lost, no families lost.”  

On June 16, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law establishing the Trust as a public benefit corporation that will be able to issue bonds and raise capital for comprehensive building renovations and improvements. Once the Trust is established, the first 25,000 apartments will be repaired and modernized. Residents will still pay only 30 percent of their income towards rent and maintain their rights and protections. They will also be part of the process every step of the way, including voting on whether they want their developments to opt into the Trust, helping choose vendors to complete work at their developments, and serving on committees that check the quality of this work. Residents will also be part of the Trust’s board. (Read more about the Trust here.) 

“We’re very excited about the twin efforts to rebuild our units and rebuild our institution,” Chair Russ said. “We’re very pleased to be at this pivot point for NYCHA…We now have the tool to raise the money, and we have to go out and do that. If we’re successful, and I believe we will be, then we’re going to have public housing serving families in New York City for another half century and beyond.” He also thanked NYCHA residents and employees for their work in helping the Trust legislation get passed.  

After his talk, Chair Russ answered questions from attendees about many topics, including Section 8, union and labor matters, the difference between the RAD/PACT program and the Trust, and more. He directed a resident who asked for more information on joining the Trust’s board to contact her tenant association, the Citywide Council of Presidents, or the Resident Advisory Board, because these groups will be responsible for proposing candidates, and he informed her that in October draft rules on the resident voting requirements to opt into the Trust will be published for comment.  

The event closed with a short discussion between Dean and President of New York Law School Anthony Crowell and Chair Russ. Mr. Crowell told the Chair: “We really appreciate the wonderful conversation and perspective, and I have to say that you have been a breath of fresh air at NYCHA. The City has long needed compelling leadership and leadership that understands public housing through and through from every aspect – and you’ve brought that. As a former public servant and somebody who cares deeply about NYCHA, its residents, and its future, I thank you.” 

Watch the full breakfast here: