Letter Re: Prioritizing the Voices of NYCHA Residents

By Electronic Mail

Re: Prioritizing the Voices of NYCHA Residents

Dear Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Transition Team:

We, the undersigned members of the Comptroller’s New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Resident Audit Committee are writing to you today to request that your administration prioritize the voices and well-being of NYCHA residents, and make it a high priority to bring the changes at NYCHA that residents deserve.

Conditions in NYCHA are widely recognized as abysmal, and the evidence is overwhelming. Federal monitors have repeatedly found thousands of unresolved mold, leak, heat, and elevator outages, with residents—disproportionately low-income New Yorkers, seniors, and families with children—living for months or years with hazardous conditions. Buildings suffer from chronic roof failures, lead paint exposure risks, broken security doors, and unreliable heat and hot water, while aging boilers and elevators routinely fail. Even after years of state and federal intervention, NYCHA’s repair backlogs remain massive, underscoring that this is not a series of isolated problems but a systemic crisis that demands urgent mayoral leadership.

We implore you to take this unique opportunity to consider the input of residents at the outset of your mayoralty. We were distressed to see that NYCHA residents were not included in any significant way on your transition committees. We strongly urge you to move quickly to involve NYCHA residents in shaping your administration.

This NYCHA Resident Audit Committee was formed by the Comptroller’s Office and consists of 26 members representing not just the 22 developments in which we reside, but the more than half a million NYCHA residents across the five boroughs.

Throughout the summer of 2022, we worked together with the Comptroller to conduct robust outreach to NYCHA residents. We listened to hundreds of residents at Family Days, held roundtables, and conducted a monthslong survey that garnered responses from 800 residents representing 132 developments. As audits were completed in 2024, a series of follow-up townhalls were held at developments in the five boroughs to share audit results and recommendations, and to hear directly from residents themselves.

The feedback from both residents and the Committee did not always align with the Comptroller’s office’s positions, but they trusted residents and not only heard our concerns but gave them serious consideration at every turn. They understood that we, the residents, are the unequivocal experts on our own homes and the problems that plague them. We felt for the first time that our voices and concerns were heard by a public official.

As the new administration takes office, we respectfully request that you establish a process to formally engage and consult with NYCHA residents about their experiences and about the issues that must be addressed for NYCHA to continue to house the hundreds of thousands of residents who live there and depend on NYCHA for affordable housing.

We also request that the incoming administration review the findings and recommendations contained in the three audit reports and one policy report that our Committee initiated and oversaw:

• Observations of Building Doors in NYCHA Developments (FK23-069S) (Observations) based on in person inspections at every one of the 262 NYCHA developments, auditors found over 9% of all external doors and windows were broken.
• Evictions in NYCHA’s PACT Program (FK23-095A) (Evictions) found that PACT developers evict residents not only at higher rates than traditional NYCHA but at a rate nearing the citywide average for all apartments; it also found that many of the additional services and safeguards against eviction that were promised to residents, were not
• NYCHA’s Monitoring of Contractor Repairs (MH23-094A) (Repairs) found that NYCHA could not provide back-up documentation showing that repairs were completed before payment 44% of the time, and surveys echoed these Residents reported work was not completed and that repairs were of poor quality. This audit was co-released with a policy report, Repairs, Reviews, and Resident Voice which called for the development of a YELP for NYCHA – to allow residents to confirm whether work was or was not completed and essentially to rate the quality of work performed by vendors, and to rate satisfaction with vendors.

In particular, a “YELP for NYCHA” as detailed in the “Repairs, Reviews, and Resident Voice” report would be an incredibly impactful tool, providing both critical data to NYCHA and a channel for residents to give feedback on work done in their homes. It would also support resident engagement and build trust. We believe it could be developed and implemented quickly – and would be a big win for your administration, and for NYCHA residents.

One key point of your campaign’s “Housing By and For New York” proposal is a recommitment to public housing, which includes a plan to “double the City’s capital investment in…NYCHA.” As resident leaders, we would very much welcome the opportunity to provide context and input into your understanding of what NYCHA needs to thrive.

As tenant leaders we have observed a familiar rhythm in our work. We listen to the concerns of the tenants we represent and advocate for change. We have often been ignored and patronized and made false promises, and sadly, we see little sustained change at NYCHA.

You can be the missing link. The opportunity you have to pressure NYCHA to implement these recommendations will not only fortify the trust Committee members have developed with NYCHA residents, but also build the social capital needed to execute your vision for public housing.

Over the past three years, we have seen firsthand the importance of access and representation and the power of an inclusive co-governance model. By including and listening to residents throughout the process, the Committee helped the Comptroller’s office bring transparency and take meaningful, achievable steps to restore basic services, safety, and trust.

Now, we are asking you to do the same. You can have a tremendous impact on the lives of a half-million New Yorkers, some of those who have lived here the longest, and yet face the worst living conditions.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to a city everyone can afford, and where everyone can live with dignity.

Sincerely,

Signatories

Rev. Carmen Hernandez, Committee Member
Kimberly Elliot, Committee Member
Diana Orama, Committee Member
Bridget Marachlian, Committee Member
Elizabeth Latham, Committee Member
Jeannie Lopez, Committee Member
Lisa Hall, Committee Member
Regina Carter, Committee Member
Simone Hall, Committee Member
Annette Maria Belk Tomlin, Committee Member
Kimberly Comes, Committee Member
Aixa Torres, Committee Member
Theresa Davis, Committee Member
Beverly Mac Farlane, Committee Member
Margaret Brewer, Committee Member
Michael Lopez, Committee Member
Samantha O’Connel, Committee Member
Sharon Crawford, Committee Member