Meet Candice White, Community Associate 

When Candice White joined NYCHA in 2021, she wasn’t working here long before getting promoted to the Post Conversion Unit. Her team, which is within Resident Outreach Conversion and Modernization Services, supports residents of NYCHA developments that are being converted to Section 8 funding through the PACT (Permanent Affordability Commitment Together) program.  

As Ms. White sees it, her team’s job is to make sure that “the resident association knows that property management is still there to help with all of their needs and concerns, and also letting them know that NYCHA hasn’t gone anywhere.”  

To achieve this, Ms. White and her colleagues play an active and important role in liaising between developments and their new PACT property managers. 

“We go out quarterly to meet with the PACT partners, resident association board, the community facilities, and also property management, to help foster those relationships,” Ms. White explained of her role. A big part of this, Ms. White notes, is meeting with the resident association, which acts as “the eyes and ears of the community.” 

Maintaining good relations with these stakeholders fosters open communication while ensuring that all participants are fully involved in the transition process. Her team also addresses questions or concerns  about the transition raised by residents calling a dedicated PACT hotline. 

Ms. White noted that having an incredibly supportive team, whom she described as a “wonderful group of ladies,” makes building relationships with residents and helping them get their concerns addressed an especially rewarding experience.  

“Candice always centers our residents in her work,” D’Andra Van Heusen-Thomas, Director of Resident Outreach for Conversion & Modernization Services, explained. “She truly cares about the work she does, and it’s not only reflected in what she produces, but the great relationships she’s developed with our residents and providers at these converted sites.”  

For Ms. White, her team’s guiding light can be summed up as: “How can we work together to problem-solve these issues for the residents for them to have a better quality of life?”