Meet Andrea Williams, Caretaker at Riis Houses and NYCHA Changemaker
Until recently, Andrea Williams had worked mainly as a security guard. But when the COVID pandemic hit, she had to seek other opportunities when she lost her job.
That search led her to NYCHA, where she secured a role as a Seasonal Aide in 2021. After giving the position her all, she became a permanent NYCHA employee last year. She currently works as a Caretaker J at Riis Houses in Manhattan.
Ms. Williams is one of the latest NYCHA Changemakers. Changemakers are employees who use NYCHA’s core values of safety, collaboration, and respect to create meaningful, sustainable change in every aspect of their work.
In her early days as a Caretaker J, Ms. Williams was responsible for cleaning the staff lunchroom, bathrooms, hallways, and management offices. She has since been assigned to buildings 132 and 134 on Avenue D.
“The first thing we’re supposed to do is do a walk-down of the building,” Ms. Williams said of the way she starts her daily routine. “We take out the trash; after that we mop the building from top to bottom. It’s basically like cleaning your apartment. You have to maintain your building so that it wouldn’t be too much for you to do.”
The two buildings she maintains each have six floors, so Ms. Williams works hard to keep all 12 floors clean.
“Since I’ve been working here, [residents] see me and ask, ‘Don’t you ever rest? Don’t you take a break?’” Ms. Williams recounted. “I say, ‘I can’t.’ Once I get moving, I’ve got to keep moving till it’s time for me to take my lunch break and I will sit down; otherwise I’ve got to move.”
She explained that moving throughout the buildings ensures that they remain clean for residents.
“I understand the value in the work we do here at NYCHA,” said Ms. Williams. “My main goal is to make residents happy by making sure our developments are clean. No matter the task, working closely with my co-workers I know we can get the job done.
Her maintenance of the buildings has not gone unnoticed. Sheletha Hill, a Riis Houses resident, emailed NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt to praise Ms. Williams, writing that she is “viewed as a valued asset of NYCHA and most importantly to residents.”
Ms. Hill praised Ms. Williams’ “ample degree of integrity in her work ethics, professionalism, dedication, devotion, faithfulness,” adding that she has watched Ms. Williams greet every resident, helped disabled residents, and “even given each dog on my floor a nickname as they bark to acknowledge her presence.”
Emmanuel Rentas, Supervisor of Caretakers at Riis Houses, is also full of praise for Ms. Williams’ hard work to “uplift the janitorial standard at Riis Houses.”
“I must say I highly appreciate the positive attitude she has shown as things get difficult at times,” said Mr. Rentas. “I want to thank Ms. Williams for all the effort she has put in these past couple of months, with all the assignments, jobs, and tasks that she has accomplished alone and alongside other staff members. Her hard work and dedication have really helped me during difficult times, and I want her to know she is valued and appreciated.”
Glowing testimonies like these contributed to Ms. Williams’ selection as a NYCHA Changemaker. The Employees Engagement Department continues to accept nominations for the Changemakers campaign – nomination forms are available here.
Ms. Williams said being named as a Changemaker makes “me feel good because I wasn’t expecting it. I was just doing my job [because] that’s what I came to work to do.”
Ms. Williams said that even though the work is not easy, it helps to think of it as taking care of your “second home. You’ve got to take care of where you work. If you slack, there’s going to be more for you to do. Have a positive mind and keep going.”
