Dear New Yorkers,

Generations of New Yorkers have grown up in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing, with deeply-rooted communities that contribute to our vibrant city. Home to over 360,000 residents across all five boroughs, it was created in 1935 as the first agency of its kind in the United States amidst the housing crisis caused by the Great Depression.

NYCHA is charged with the mission of providing decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. But reports, audits, and lived experiences show the City often falls short of meeting this – from vulnerable basement units to broken, unsafe doors.

At a NYCHA Family Day I attended in 2022, a resident wanted to show me the issues in their development. They showed me that the locks of the front door lobby of their development were constantly broken and made tenants feel unsafe.

This interaction inspired the quick action that our audit team took conducting a quick response field review, where over 100 auditors visited 262 NYCHA developments between August 30 and September 8, 2022. While traditional audits can take months or a year to complete, our team found a way to be quickly responsive to the issues we were hearing and seeing on the ground.

My office also created a first-of-its kind NYCHA resident audit committee to provide first-hand feedback and insight into the kinds of public housing audits our team of auditors should undertake.

Last year, our NYCHA Resident Audit Committee voted on and selected two audits to undertake. This week, we met again to make sure we're on the right track and continue to keep residents at the center of our participatory audit process to keep the agency accountable.

When all New Yorkers have access to quality, deeply affordable housing, everyone thrives. Over the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to stop by several more NYCHA Family Days throughout the city, including the Alfred E. Smith houses in Manhattan, Queensbridge Houses in Queens, and Stapleton Houses in Staten Island.

What inspires me at every celebration is how deeply rooted and committed NYCHA residents are to their community – like Smith Houses Tenant Associate President Aixa Torres, who demonstrates fearless leadership and advocacy for Smith.

Much like the conditions under which NYCHA was born, we face a housing affordability crisis today. As Comptroller, I’m using every tool in my office to guarantee deeply affordable housing for all New Yorkers.

We’ve recently invested up to $60 million to preserve 35,000 rent-stabilized housing units impacted by the sudden collapse of Signature Bank last spring. And we issued the City’s first ever social bonds, generating over $1 billion to finance over 7,000 new units of low-income housing.

And if you’re curious, you can learn more about our NYCHA resident audit committee here.

Thanks,

Brad

Office of the New York City Comptroller

Our mailing address is:
Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander
1 Centre Street
New York, NY 10007
United States

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