“I am NextGen” Employees Denise Torres and Robert White

The “I am NextGeneration NYCHA” campaign continues to bring to the attention of the public outstanding employees, residents, and supporters of NYCHA who embody the commitment to service that’s required to transform our NextGeneration NYCHA vision of safe, clean and connected communities into a reality. The October issue of NYCHANow featured Supervisor of Caretakers Harrison Torres, the first employee honoree.

Below, meet two more employees whose job dedication makes them ambassadors to the public, through the campaign’s coverage in various media. You may also have seen them featured throughout NYCHA in the series of exceptional posters by the Department of Communications’ photo unit.

Denise Torres

Denise Torres grew up in Clason Point Gardens and has worked for NYCHA for 29 years. On the way to serving as NYCHA’s first Technical Resource Advisor in the Maintenance, Repair & Skilled Trades Department, she also was the first woman to serve as supervisor of exterminators. Ms. Torres was nominated for the NextGen campaign by NYCHA’s partners in the Healthy Homes Program at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for her “leadership to improve [public] housing quality and protect the health of NYCHA families.”

What do you do as a Technical Resource Advisor?

We maintain all the Police Service Areas throughout the five boroughs, address all the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) asthma referral jobs, and do any emergency that the director requests. We also try to assist developments when they are overwhelmed with a certain situation, such as a rat infestation, and they don’t have the time or staff.

What happens when you’re called by the IPM program?

We initially do an apartment inspection with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. [Their representative] speaks with the tenant, touching on all the sighted issues that are creating allergens, and I write everything down. This can be mold in the bathroom or standing water, if cabinets are roach infested or have frazz (roach feces), or even if there’s a plaster or painting job that needs to be done. I send an email out to all the skilled trades involved.

Each of these tenants could be our mother, father, sister, or brother, so I want my team to go above and beyond. – Denise Torres

But I send my crew in first. We apply gel throughout the apartment, including in bathrooms, closets, and bedrooms. We use the HEPA vacuum to remove all the live and dead roaches. And we use glue traps as monitors.

We try to follow up within two weeks to see what kind of situation we have now.

I continue to reach out to the tenants, educate them, let them know that in the beginning it seems a little rough but just give us the opportunity and you’ll see the difference. We give them a little brief education on housecleaning and the do’s and don’ts that they should know…to maintain the apartment so you don’t get a re-infestation of the roaches.

What is the best thing about your job?

I’ve had so many good turnarounds where people said, “Denise, without you I don’t know where I would be.” I just try to help as many people as need my help. It doesn’t only have to do with pest control. If it’s other things, I’ll listen to them. I’ve held tenants, I’ve cried with tenants, I’ve gone to funerals. That is probably the best, getting to know people. When you join the Authority, if you have a great heart, this is where it’s supposed to show.

Each of these tenants could be our mother, father, sister, or brother, so I want my team to go above and beyond. We change a lot of things in these tenants’ apartments and we give them a new outlook on how the Housing Authority is working and the direction we’re going.

Robert White

Robert White was nominated by residents at Sandy-damaged developments, including Red Hook East Houses, where he also resides. He joined NYCHA as a Recovery to Resiliency Community Outreach Worker a little more than one year ago and feels that his life experience as a resident makes him more effective on the job.

What do you do as a Community Outreach Worker?

As Community Outreach Workers, we visit residents in Sandy-impacted developments to see how the storm affected them. These housing developments are people’s homes and the team respects that. We bring information to the residents, if they’re looking for work, if they’re looking for training, if they have issues with NYCHA with the conditions in their building or outside of their building, we’re there to listen. And we always follow up.

What’s today’s meeting at Riis Houses about?

I’m facilitating a meeting where the Project Management Office informs the Resident Association president, the maintenance superintendent, and property managers about the scope of work to take place in their development.

We want to make sure that what we do is approved and [people are] informed because it’s disrespectful to come onsite without giving residents the information. We don’t want to displace trees [or where] kids have been playing, and we don’t want large structures blocking someone’s window—so we have to understand what the community wants but also provide what’s necessary expeditiously.

How long have you been a Sandy Community Outreach Worker?

I have been a Community Outreach Worker for over a year. I was in Red Hook East for the storm. I was without heat, without electricity for over a month…so when I joined the team, I brought that background. When I address residents, I come to them as a worker and a resident that’s experienced what they have.

What is one issue you run into as a Community Outreach Worker?

A lot of people are cautious; they didn’t want to have any repairs done to their units because they think they’re going to be in trouble. We’re not trying to catch [them] with a washing machine and raise their rent. The old way of NYCHA has a lot of people fearful but we’re changing minds and hearts. People tell us, “It’s never been done, nobody ever called us just to say, ‘Did that repair happen?’ But this is the new NYCHA.”

I think it’s because this is from the top down. Because my immediate supervisor, her immediate supervisor, and all the way up to [Chair and CEO] Shola Olatoye and the General Manager—they don’t play around. They’re out here in the community just as well. So, lots of things are happening and we’re a part of it, everyone is working together.

If you know someone you’d like to nominate for the “I am NextGen” campaign, send your suggestion to nextgen@nycha.nyc.gov.