Devoted Staff at the Heart of ‘Maintenance Cares:’ Meet Sam Gonzalez
They’re on the frontlines of ensuring critical repairs are completed so NYCHA residents can live safely and comfortably in their homes.
Across the city, the Authority’s highly dedicated maintenance staff are equipped and ready to take on a range of apartment fixes that may need their urgent attention. Ask many experienced maintenance employees – such as Sam Gonzalez in Queens – what motivates them every day, and they’ll say that it’s the opportunity to help maintain safe, decent living spaces for residents.
Mr. Gonzalez, who has been based at Queensbridge North Houses for about five years, was inspired young to fix things by his father, leading to a decades-long career in maintenance.
“I’ve been doing this type of work for over 40 years, so I have extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of houses and buildings,” said Mr. Gonzalez, a Queens resident who started his NYCHA career 10 years ago at Astoria Houses. “This is something I enjoy and love doing; there’s nothing else I’d rather do than this.”
Serving the largest public housing development in North America, the veteran repair specialist is among a team of hard-working staff who have been commended for their efforts under the Authority’s “Maintenance Cares” initiative. Maintenance Cares launched across NYCHA in 2025 to expedite apartment repairs that need immediate attention by skilled trades employees or vendors. When Maintenance Workers visit apartments for repairs, they will immediately report an issue for escalation if it meets one of 10 serious conditions that could impact health and safety, including loss of power, significant leaks, damaged ceilings, open walls, or excessive hoarding.
Workers will document the issue with photos and a brief description and submit the report via a dedicated Maintenance Cares email address. While some minor repairs may be performed by maintenance crews on the spot, repairs that require more complex work or expertise are addressed by skilled trades staff, including plumbers, electricians, plasterers, carpenters, and painters.
Mr. Gonzalez asks residents to identify all issues they believe need urgent attention in their home – and he tries to fix whatever he can during the same visit.
“I’m a little bit of a perfectionist, and I like to see that something is at 100 percent complete before I leave,” explained Mr. Gonzalez, one of the most senior Maintenance Workers at Queensbridge North. “I think one of my best qualities is that I like to take care of whatever emergencies that arise at that time. My main goal as a Maintenance Worker is to make sure that every apartment is in top-notch shape for people to live comfortably.”
Sam Gonzalez has served as a maintenance worker in his home borough of Queens for 10 years.
A key to providing good customer service during the process, the worker notes, is letting residents know how the program works and that the maintenance issue will be handled in a timely manner. As a result, residents have expressed gratitude and are pleased to know that NYCHA is taking action.
“If it’s something that’s urgent or really needed, I really try to let them know that we’re working to get the apartment up and running,” he said.
Praising the program as “well-needed and effective,” Mr. Gonzalez and his colleagues are proud to be part of the force behind Maintenance Cares – and the prompt progress to improve living conditions for residents.
As it’s fittingly stated on the back of their Maintenance Cares-branded T-shirts, the work done by NYCHA’s maintenance teams “starts with caring.” For Mr. Gonzalez at Queensbridge, and other experienced colleagues across NYCHA, their maintenance careers are not just a job but a passion – one that comes with the added benefit of providing a critical service to the resident community.
“I try to help out as many people as I can here,” Mr. Gonzalez concluded. “When I retire, at the end of the day, I want to be able to say that at least I made a difference with what I’ve done in my career.”
