Meet Lisa Gladden, Housing Assistant at Breukelen Houses 

A resident of Brooklyn’s Boulevard Houses, Lisa Gladden has worked at NYCHA for about 22 years. Most of that time was spent at Sumner Houses in Brooklyn, where she served as a secretary before accepting the housing assistant job at Breukelen Houses nearly two years ago. 

Ms. Gladden started her career at NYCHA through the Work Experience Program. Noting her passion for helping others, she recalled how being a NYCHA secretary enabled her to assist residents with various issues, from rent questions to repair requests. She particularly enjoyed the connections made with residents and the welcoming environment among her colleagues. 

“I got to know the tenants and the tenants got to know me, and it was cool to come to work every day and be with your cohorts,” Ms. Gladden said. “It brought joy to want to come to work.” 

When she had the opportunity to become a NYCHA housing assistant, Ms. Gladden knew it would be a niche for her due to the role’s similarities with social work.  

“I thought, ‘I can be a housing assistant because it’s similar to being a social worker,’” she described.  

In addition to answering phone calls each day from residents with a range of needs, Ms. Gladden works with residents to complete their annual recertifications, update household information, collect rent payments, address various concerns, and direct them to resources such as NYCHA’s Self-Service Portal.     

According to Iesha Lugay, Secretary III at Breukelen Houses, Ms. Gladden is “making a difference each day in the tenants’ lives.”  

Ms. Gladden said that compassion and empathy are among the key qualities for a housing assistant to have when assisting residents. 

“I’m here to make everyone else’s life a little bit easier,” she said. “I love to go to work and I love my job. I take my job very seriously and I like to get the job done.”