NYCHA and CCOP Sign New Memorandum of Agreement
Dear Staff:
As we continue our work to transform NYCHA, we understand that strengthening our partnerships with residents is a critical component of improving New York City’s public housing.
Today, we are writing with important news: NYCHA and the Citywide Council of Presidents (CCOP) have signed a new MOA that officially recognizes the CCOP as the Authority-wide voice for residents and formalizes its role in advising on all areas of NYCHA’s portfolio. Specifically, the agreement establishes a framework for how NYCHA and CCOP will work together to enhance the operations and management of the Authority, amplify resident participation and better address the issues that are most important to the New Yorkers who call our NYCHA developments home. It also outlines how NYCHA and CCOP will share information and communicate.
CCOP is the duly elected jurisdiction-wide resident council that represents all of the public housing residents in NYCHA and is comprised of Resident Association (RA) presidents that bring valuable perspectives to the table about how NYCHA should move forward. Every president of a recognized RA is a member of one of nine CCOP districts, and RA presidents from each district elect a chair to represent their district. Current CCOP members are Daniel Barber, CCOP Chair and Bronx South; Lilithe Lozano, Bronx North; Ethel Velez, Manhattan North; Lillie Marshall, Brooklyn South; Vernona Bradham, Brooklyn West; Reginald Bowman, Brooklyn East; Anne Cotton-Morris, Queens; and Brenda Kiko Charles, Staten Island.
While the CCOP has long worked with NYCHA on issues affecting residents at their developments, this is the first time NYCHA and CCOP have had an official agreement since 1993. We celebrate this moment and would like to thank NYCHA’s Resident Engagement Department, the Law Department and all the CCOP members who made this possible.
Training on the details of the new agreement is currently in development for NYCHA employees and resident leaders. We look forward to this renewed relationship between NYCHA and CCOP and are proud to be standing hand-in-hand. On behalf of NYCHA and the CCOP, we would like residents to know that their voices matter and that we view this dialogue as absolutely imperative to our success.
In partnership,
Greg Russ, Chair & Chief Executive Officer
Danny Barber, CCOP Chair
