Spotlight on NYCHA’s Relocation Team
Most of the time, major apartment repairs can be completed while NYCHA residents still live in their apartment. But on the rare occasions when NYCHA residents need to temporarily move to another apartment or hotel due to necessary renovation or repair work, the relocation unit in NYCHA’s Family Partnerships Department comes to their aid.
In the past year, this newly formed team has helped more than 500 residents temporarily relocate to hospitality apartments or hotels while their apartment gets rehabilitated, ensuring that the residents have everything they need during the process. Health hazards such as asbestos, mold, leaks, and lead are usually the reasons behind temporary relocation. Once the necessary repairs are completed, families return to their apartment.
The relocations to hospitality apartments or hotels are generally for three days to two weeks, depending on the scale and complexity of the work being performed in their apartment. During that time, NYCHA provides a prepaid debit card for residents’ food and transportation expenses. Although the relocation unit is the main engine of the process, several NYCHA departments collaborate to make it as smooth and easy as possible.
NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships Ukah Busgith said that the unit makes relocation a seamless experience for residents: “This team takes care of every step of the process. I’m thankful for the relocation staff, a very caring and supportive team that offers their services to NYCHA residents. It makes a huge difference for residents across the Authority.”
Social Worker Rachel Jump is one of the unit’s nine members; like everyone else on the relocation team, she wears many hats: “Our team takes a dynamic approach, assessing for a comprehensive list of needs, working to minimize inconveniences while maintaining access to necessary services and matching residents to accommodations that meet their needs. We partner with NYCHA’s repair staff and support residents throughout the entire relocation and repair process. It’s important for residents to have an advocate, and our entire team acts as such.”
Intake Specialist Roshelle Wickham is one of the first team members contacted when a relocation request comes in. She remembers a case in which the head of household agreed to be relocated but then had a medical emergency. “We had to work with the oldest daughter to get the work done and relocate the family while constantly checking up on the kids and making sure they went to school and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” said Ms. Wickham. “That was a very hands-on case.”
The leader of the team, Senior Strategic Manager Delores Stewart, takes pride in her team’s careful assessment of residents’ needs. “We call residents and do an assessment on each resident’s needs,” Ms. Stewart explained. “For example, which hotel will be the best hotel for the specific family? We have residents with many kids, and we try to find a hotel that is as close to the children’s school as possible, also keeping in mind adult residents’ work and medical appointments.”
Speaking about her family’s seven-day stay at a hotel, Bronx River Houses resident Dawn Singleton summed it by saying, “The relocation team did a wonderful job throughout the whole process.”
Mitchell Houses resident Charlise Ellis lived in a hotel for two weeks with her two kids while a leak and mold were remediated in her apartment. “The relocation team was amazing throughout the whole process,” said Ms. Ellis. “They made sure we checked in successfully and were regularly calling with updates. I have a kid with special needs and a toddler. The relocation team made sure the hotel is suitable for a kid in a wheelchair, and we were close enough to the kids’ school. They even gave me their personal cell number in case we needed something urgent.”
