Inspiring a Compliance Culture: Read the Compliance Department’s Fall 2025 Newsletter
Updates and Alerts
During the past quarter, the Compliance Department published one new and two updated Standard Procedures and posted a new Advisory Alert. This newsletter focuses on the key takeaways in these documents, so be sure to read the alerts and procedures for the complete information.
Standard Procedures
Standard Procedure 008:25:1, Family Re-Entry Program, describes the policies and procedures governing the Family Re-Entry Program (FRP), which is designed to reunite people recently released from incarceration with their families who live in NYCHA public housing. The program helps eligible individuals and families successfully reintegrate by providing a pathway to NYCHA housing.
This new Standard Procedure discusses:
- The program eligibility requirements for applicants and the NYCHA households they want to join.
- How FRP applications are submitted and reviewed.
- How participants are monitored after they are accepted into the program.
- The reasons why a participant may be removed from the program, including conviction of a criminal offense that affects eligibility for public housing, incarceration due to a parole or probation violation, or exhibiting non-desirable behavior as defined by NYCHA.
- The benefits of completing the program successfully, including removal of permanent exclusions and trespass bans (if applicable) and addition of the participant as a permanent household member (if requested by the head of household and co-head).
Standard Procedure 001:15:3, Make It Safe Policy, establishes the Make It Safe Policy, which outlines the process for NYCHA employees to exercise their right to stop or refuse work when they encounter unsafe conditions. It also provides protocols for how supervisors must respond to resolve the condition. The Make It Safe Policy has been in effect since 2015. Updates to this procedure include, but are not limited to:
- Changes to the process for assessing a hazard and how to request assistance from the Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS). After an employee identifies a hazard, they must immediately bring it to the attention of their supervisor, and the supervisor must promptly assess the reported hazard. If the employee, supervisor, and safety associate (if available) need help to find a solution, the supervisor fills out the Make It Safe Activation Form (available on the SafeNYCHA page on NYCHA Connect) and checks the box that states “EHS consultation is requested.”
- New information about what to do when an employee and their supervisor are able to agree on a solution to the hazard at the work location. The supervisor fills out the Make It Safe Activation Form, which must include the solution, and the supervisor checks the box that states “No EHS consultation is requested.” Safety associates confirm all the corrections were made.
- A new workflow chart (the Make It Safe Activation Flowchart).
- The Standard Procedure references a new form, Make It Safe Warning Sign (NYCHA Form 060.642), that must be posted when applicable, in the area or on the equipment that is shut down. The sign includes the following statement and must include the safety associate’s contact information as well as the supervisors involved who can be contacted for more information: “WARNING: Make It Safe in place. Do not enter or operate machine. Do not remove this sign without authorization.”
Standard Procedure 100:13:1, NYCHA Commercial Card, establishes specific instructions for issuing, using, and controlling NYCHA commercial cards. These are credit cards assigned to NYCHA departments and units that may be presented at qualified businesses to make certain business-related purchases under limited circumstances.
Updates to NYCHA Commercial Card include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Use of commercial cards for purchasing food and refreshments, which is generally prohibited, must be approved in advance by the CEO or CFO or their designees.
- Most commercial cards have a single transaction limit of $300. Temporary changes to the single transaction or credit limit must be reviewed by a vice president or higher and approved by the Treasury Department; permanent changes must be approved by the Chief Financial Officer.
- A card may be used only if employees are unable to acquire supplies, materials, or services that are in stock, available from NYCHA’s Logistics & Inventory Department, or purchased through NYCHA’s Procurement Operations Department.
- Commercial cards cannot be used to pay directly for transit rides, like tapping to enter. Staff must purchase an OMNY card for work-related transit rides, following the instructions in the procedure.
- If a purchaser is shopping online and cannot apply NYCHA’s tax-exempt status, they should select a different vendor that offers it. If a vendor insists on charging sales tax, the purchaser should use a different vendor that does not.
- Receipts must be uploaded to Smart Data for each item returned.
- Employees must reimburse NYCHA for the full amount of any improper card usage.
Compliance Advisory Alerts
Compliance Advisory Alert #80 – The Mold Inspection Protocol – Identifying the Root Cause (Resident Caused) details a recent review performed by the Compliance Department and the Office of Mold Assessment and Remediation (OMAR) of mold inspection work orders. This review is to ensure compliance with Standard Procedure 040:14:1, Mold/Mildew Control in NYCHA Residential Buildings, and the conditions of the Baez Agreement, a court-ordered settlement that mandates specific reforms within NYCHA, including mold and moisture issues. A recent review of mold inspection work orders found that NYCHA mold inspectors have been selecting “resident caused” as the root cause of mold at an unusually high frequency and often as the sole cause, despite this rarely being the case.
Conclusion
The Compliance Department will continue working with our colleagues to ensure that NYCHA is a safe and healthy place for our residents, staff, and vendors. If you have any concerns or complaints, or if you see anyone engaging in a deceptive practice, you can make a confidential and anonymous report by calling the Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 (select menu option 7) or by visiting the Compliance Department section of NYCHA’s website. Complaints can also be reported to any other federal, state, or local government agency. Remember, the Compliance Department is here to help.
90 Church Street, New York, NY 10007
