Meet Jaritza Vazquez
On July 16, 2001, I started my journey with the New York City Housing Authority. I was first assigned to Red Hook West Houses as the Property’s Manager Secretary. As a Secretary, I worked in other developments such as Boulevard Houses and Tompkins Houses.
During my time at Tompkins Houses (2012 to 2018), I helped out wherever necessary to serve residents. That included supervising Summer Youth Employment Program employees, seasonal employees, clerical staff, and maintenance employees; assigning and supervising work assignments; training new staff members; helping Housing Managers inspect buildings during PHAS inspections; assisting with development budgeting and oversight of vendors/contractors; assisting with determining eligibility for public housing and leased housing programs; and handling tenant and community relations.
Being a team player has always been a priority to me, and so I enjoyed helping others and going out of my way to find positive solutions. I learned so much during my time at Tompkins Houses, including how to approve annual recertifications and perform rent collection, and my experiences there allowed me to interact directly with residents.
In 2017 I had the privilege of joining the first cohort of the Employee Engagement Committee (EEC), which enabled me to engage more with my colleagues and on NYCHA’s strategic vision. The EEC partners with NYCHA leadership to help foster a collaborative organization that supports NYCHA’s goals. EEC members also implement NYCHA’s core values, which are the guiding principles that influence behavior and action. We visited various developments and departments to introduce the core values and recruit the next cohort of EEC members. The EEC created the NYCHA Changemakers campaign, which highlights employee leaders who are putting NYCHA’s core values to work!
In January 2018, I was promoted to Housing Assistant and assigned to Louis Armstrong Houses. I am primarily responsible for providing effective customer service to residents. Specifically, I manage rent collection and the tracking of annual recertifications for 619 units and also ensure that resident repair requests are responded to within prescribed guidelines. During my time at Louis Armstrong Houses, I’ve met great coworkers and learned so much from my residents, an experience that will assist in my future endeavors. I am looking forward to more promotions and success in this agency.
In my 18 years with NYCHA, my priority has always been to provide great customer service to our residents – and to inspire others to be leaders and team players who are always proud of their occupation. No matter what title you have in the agency, be proud and be the best at it!
