Testimony of Comptroller Brad Lander to the City Council Committee on Public Housing Oversight – The Infrastructure of Resident Safety at NYCHA

Thank you Chair Aviles and members of the New York City Council Committee on Public Housing for the opportunity to testify on NYCHA’s safety infrastructure.

A year and a half ago, my office kicked off an engagement effort to hear directly from NYCHA residents about the most pressing issues in their developments by attending family days, hosting roundtables across the five boroughs, and collecting hundreds of surveys. Many residents flagged significant security concerns including chronic issues with broken doors and locks.

In response, over 100 auditors took to the field and visited every NYCHA development and checked the physical condition of doors and locks in August and September of 2022. Auditors visited 262 developments and were alarmed to find the following:

• 36.8% of residential building entrance doors were propped open or unlocked
• 40.1% of entrance door locks were broken
• 37.5% of rear side doors were propped open or unlocked
• 28.5% of rear or side door locks were broken

The results of this review in 2022 found conditions much worse than in 2018, when the Comptroller’s auditors undertook a similar review. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of entrance doors propped open and/or had broken locks increased dramatically from 23.5% in 2018 to 57.9% in 2022.

Our 2018 report recommended that NYCHA implement the following recommendations: (1) repair or replace damaged exterior doors, (2) regularly inspect all exterior doors and maintain all doors and locks in good working order and (3) ensure that when exterior doors are obstructed or unsecured, maintenance staff are immediately made aware.

The 2022 review resulted in our auditors reissuing many of these recommendations to NYCHA. In March 2023 when NYCHA was asked by the Comptroller’s Office for the status of recommendations, they reported that they implemented all of the recommendations. However, our office and other elected officials continue to hear from residents of ongoing and long-standing issues.

Our 2022 field review made clear that NYCHA did not fully implement the recommendations made in 2018, and continuing complaints since the 2022 review raise concerns that the problems remain. For example, as recently as this week, we heard from a resident that most of the doors at Jefferson Houses were opened, not secured, and the intercom did not work.

We stress that NYCHA must urgently and consistently follow through in implementing these recommendations While we understand NYCHA’s dire financial straits, our office voices our concerns that repairs are not adequately done even when funding is allocated. We also understand the issues extend beyond the doors themselves. Residents inform us that doors are often propped open because replacement keys are too expensive, and we urge NYCHA to make replacements more accessible. However, these worsening results overall do not represent one-off challenges, but a deeper culture of improper maintenance without quality assurance mechanisms.

We urge NYCHA to listen to the voices of many residents who shared the impacts these security issues have on their daily lives, and what it means to live without a sense of security in their own homes. Thank you for your consideration, and our office welcomes any questions or elaboration on our recent field review.

###