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NYCHA Now
Transform NYCHA
Blueprint for Change October 2021 

Improving the Repair Process

Michael Corwin

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 and lack of visibility when scheduling necessary Skilled Trades, while employees have faced limited staff resources, lengthy travel time, and challenges with accessing residents’ homes and sequencing trades in the right order.

As part of the 2021 NYCHA Transformation Plan, NYCHA is rolling out the Work Order Reform project, beginning with Queens and Staten Island. Introduced last fall as a pilot program, this change will enable us to deliver improved service to residents by bringing more coordination and responsiveness closer to our developments, where the work is performed. 

Here are the key changes to improve how we create, schedule, and resolve work orders:

  • Adding more staff: NYCHA is hiring over 400 Maintenance Workers, Skilled Trades workers, and support staffers (such as Neighborhood Planners and Secretaries).
  • Bringing Skilled Trades support closer to developments: High-demand Skilled Trades (such as painters and plasterers) will be assigned to developments, consolidations, or Neighborhoods.
  • Simplifying how we schedule repairs: Maintenance Workers will now open all child Skilled Trades work orders during the first visit. Residents will work with planning staff to schedule all needed visits in one phone call.
  • Measuring what matters: Rather than just looking at the length of time for individual tickets from open to close, we will measure the length of time it takes for the entire repair to be completed – from the first Maintenance Worker ticket opened to the last Skilled Trades ticket closed.

Borough rollouts are scheduled as follows:

  • Queens/SI: November 2021 – January 2022
  • Bronx: January – March 2022
  • Brooklyn: April – June 2022
  • Manhattan: July – August 2022

To help ensure a successful implementation, we will incorporate lessons learned from each borough into the next borough’s rollout. Please see the fact sheet for more information about this critical initiative, which will strengthen our organization and our service to residents.

Thank you for your dedication and for your vital role in NYCHA’s transformation. If you have any questions or comments, please email transform@nycha.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,

Greg Russ, Chair & Chief Executive Officer

Vito Mustaciuolo, Chief Operating Officer