Mayor Adams Celebrates NYCHA's Historic Year with Selection of Trust in First Resident Vote, Record-Breaking Progress

December 15, 2023

First Resident Vote Certified as Nostrand Houses Chooses to Enter Public Housing Preservation Trust  

Record-Breaking Year for Converted PACT Units, Funding for PACT Repairs, Capital Investments, and Fundraising by Public Housing Community Fund  

Makes Historic Progress Boosting Sustainability Across Developments   

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer, and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt today celebrated a transformational year for NYCHA that gave residents a say in the future of their homes, broke investment and fundraising records, and ushered in a new era for sustainability across the country’s largest public housing system. Today, with the certification of voting results, residents at Nostrand Houses made history and voted to enter the NYCHA Public Housing Preservation Trust. 

“Today we are celebrating a year of victories for the working people of NYCHA,” said Mayor Adams. “With the certification of voting results, residents at Nostrand Houses made history and voted to enter the Public Housing Preservation Trust — ensuring residents get their fair share. This vote builds on the transformational year we’ve had in breaking records, making historic investments, and improving sustainability for our critical public housing system.” 

“Our administration is firing on all cylinders to deliver real results for NYCHA residents, and the numbers are there to prove it. Over 20,000 homes have been converted through PACT since the start of the program, $1.8 billion was secured in financing for PACT developments in 2023, and the very first development presented with the opportunity to join the Preservation Trust voted for it with an overwhelming majority,” said Deputy Mayor of Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “While we are proud of these successes, we know we have to redouble our efforts to reverse decades of under-investment at NYCHA. As we look forward to 2024, we will continue to center the voices of NYCHA tenants in all that we do.” 

"The vote at Nostrand is an unprecedented and historic moment at NYCHA, but it also speaks to the progression of the Authority's overall transformation," said NYCHA CEO Bova-Hiatt. "In the last five years, we have worked tirelessly and in constant concert with residents to cultivate, evolve, and sharpen the strategies at our disposal to not only provide decent housing, but to facilitate a better standard of living for those who call NYCHA home. We have built and fine-tuned meaningful, sustainable pathways to a better quality of life for residents, such as the Preservation Trust and the PACT program, that are yielding tangible results for residents and the Authority alike. Now, as a critical part of today's NYCHA, and evidenced at Nostrand Houses and through the PACT program, residents are the ones guiding the future of their homes and the direction of the Authority more than ever. And, with that said, the work alongside our partners — the residents — continues." 

A third-party election administrator certified the results from NYCHA’s first resident vote. With Nostrand Houses selecting to enter the Public Housing Preservation Trust — created by the Adams administration and signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul — the development will be eligible to tap into new federal funding streams for comprehensive repairs.  The historic vote at Nostrand Houses builds on a transformational year for NYCHA, which broke several records and made significant progress to bolster the sustainability of developments across the five boroughs. Highlights of the achievements include:  

• Set a new record by converting more than 5,200 units to Section 8 through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, for a total of more than 20,000 converted units. 
• Closed on financing for $1.8 billion for capital repairs at PACT developments — the largest capital financing in the program’s history.  
• Continued to utilize a record $1 billion in funding for capital projects in 2023. 
• Set new Public Housing Community Fund record with record $8 million haul.  
• Made historic progress to bolster sustainability through clean energy initiatives and flood resiliency infrastructure improvements, among other efforts.  

The final, certified results at Nostrand Houses yielded a total of 808 resident votes, including 573 heads of household. By the election administrator’s count, the residents of Nostrand Houses have selected the Preservation Trust as the future of their homes with a total of 464 votes, while 172 residents voted to remain as Section 9 housing, and 163 voted to enter the PACT program. NYCHA and the Trust will now convert the development to Project-Based Section 8 and unlock millions of dollars in much-needed funding for capital renovations to the 1,150 apartments in 16 buildings on Nostrand’s campus. 

The residents of Bronx River Addition will vote next, following 100 days of engagement. Over the past year, NYCHA has also worked in tandem with resident leadership to select partner teams and deliver record-breaking capital improvements and renovations to campuses around the city through the PACT program. A record $1.81 billion in financing for capital repairs was closed through PACT this year across four PACT deals, with the program now having surpassed a record 20,000 units converted to Section 8 Project-Based Housing, allowing a development to tap into additional funding. PACT-unlocked funding goes toward fully renovating apartments and buildings, improvements to campus grounds, infrastructure upgrades, HUD pillar compliance, increased safety and security, and access to important social services.  Together, the Trust and PACT represent two key strategies to drive investment into NYCHA properties following decades of federal disinvestment, as NYCHA and the administration work to improve and preserve this critical housing for future generations of New Yorkers.  NYCHA is also on track to utilize $1 billion in funding for capital projects in 2023 — the most NYCHA has spent in a single year in its history. NYCHA’s major capital programs are focused on renovating heating systems, elevators, roofs, facades, plumbing, waste management equipment, safety and security systems, flood infrastructure, and community centers and playgrounds.

Supplementing NYCHA’s day-to-day efforts to improve conditions and quality of life for residents, the Public Housing Community Fund engages people and partners to invest in programs that enhance the lives of NYCHA residents, and this year raised a record-breaking $8 million-plus.  Throughout 2023, NYCHA continued its work alongside city, state, and private partners to address the climate crisis while solving quality of life issues for residents through innovative sustainability initiatives and programs and capital investments in areas such as resiliency infrastructure. NYCHA expanded the Clean Heat for All challenge, an initiative to develop a new heating and cooling product to hasten the transition to fossil-free heating sources, with the installation of 72 window heat pumps from two manufacturers in 24 apartments at Woodside Houses that are being closely monitored for performance throughout the current winter heating season. A request for proposal was issued for the Induction Stove Challenge, which invites appliance manufacturers to design and produce energy-efficient, electric-cooking systems to replace existing fossil fuel stoves while avoiding costly electrical upgrades in NYCHA buildings. In September, the NYCHA celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of the NYCHA Clean Energy Academy, which prepares residents for careers in the rapidly growing clean energy sector.  

"We are immensely honored and grateful for the faith placed in the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust by the residents of Nostrand Houses,” said New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust President Vlada Kenniff. "This victory is a testament to the power of community collaboration and the collective determination to secure a brighter future for all residents. We are fully committed to working hand-in-hand with the community to preserve and enhance the quality of life at Nostrand Houses." 

“PACT continues to reshape the perception of what public housing looks like and what it can be,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “Residents at NYCHA developments across the city are seeing these possibilities unfold firsthand. This year, we surpassed 20,000 units converted. Those are the homes of families and individuals who continue to have an affordable place to call home in buildings and apartments that have been preserved for future generations. We extend our most sincere appreciation to our PACT partner teams, and of course, the residents for their partnership and guidance throughout the evolution of this remarkable program.” 

“Residents at the Nostrand Houses have taken a bold step toward strengthening public housing in New York by joining the New York City Housing Preservation Trust,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “This vote will not only improve living conditions for the hundreds of residents at the Nostrand Houses — it paves the way for major improvements at more than 25,000 apartments across the NYCHA system. My administration brought stakeholders to the table to establish our first-in-the-nation Trust, and after meeting with residents, tenant leaders, members of the Legislature, and others, I was proud to sign landmark legislation to fund the critical repairs that residents have demanded for years. The Nostrand Houses’ historic vote reflects years of partnership between my office, the mayor, NYCHA, and the tenant community, and I look forward to continuing to work with them as we start this new chapter for public housing in New York.”

“This is a major victory for NYCHA residents having true autonomy and democratically determining the future of their homes,” said New York State Senator Julia Salazar. “52 percent of heads of household and 49 percent of all residents in Nostrand Houses cast their votes, which is remarkably high turnout for any election, on the choice of the Preservation Trust, RAD/PACT, or the status quo of Section 9. Because the overwhelming majority of voting Nostrand Houses NYCHA residents cast their votes in favor of transitioning to the Preservation Trust, this NYCHA development will remain publicly owned while accessing far more funding for repairs than they otherwise could. This is a historic moment for public housing residents. 

“I am excited that the residents of Nostrand Houses have spoken, democratically choosing to be the first NYCHA residents to join the Public Housing Preservation Trust, a program establish through legislation I supported,” said New York State Assemblymember Helene Weinstein, chair, Assembly Ways and Means Committee. “As those who stand to gain the most, these residents were most deserving of an opportunity to participate in decision-making that will have immediate positive impacts on their quality of life by initiating crucial rehabilitations, renovations and improvements, years long overdue and will most certainly increase their quality of life.” 

“Today we celebrate a year of tenant empowerment and historic investment in the nation’s largest public housing system. I congratulate the Nostrand Houses residents for exercising their right to vote and choosing to enter the Public Housing Preservation Trust,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “I co-sponsored and passed the bill establishing this trust, which opens up billions of federal dollars for capital repairs at NYCHA developments. We will now have the funding to bring the homes of over 2,000 residents to a state of good repair. This historic first-ever vote by NYCHA residents was a success through comprehensive outreach and dialogue that allowed tenants to make an informed decision about their own future. Other NYCHA developments will now emulate this process as we work together to empower half a million NYCHA tenants, so they have the dignified and safe housing they deserve.”