Resident Councils

The role of a resident council -- also known as resident associations -- is to improve the quality of life and resident satisfaction and participate in self-help initiatives to enable residents to create a positive living environment for families living in public housing. Ninety-five percent of NYCHA’s developments have resident associations, also known as tenant associations, resident associations, or tenant councils. They work with NYCHA management at every level, giving residents a real voice in the operation of their developments.

Each resident council’s has a democratically elected governing board that is elected by the voting membership. At minimum, the governing board must consist of five elected board members such as president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and sergeant-at-arms. The term of office varies for each resident council but does not exceed 3 years. For an election, voting membership must consist of heads of households (any age) and other residents at least 18 years of age or older and whose name appears on a lease for the unit in the public housing development that the resident council represents.

To find out how you can participate in the resident council elections process at your development, contact the Resident Engagement Department at resident.engagement@nycha.nyc.gov.

Missed the general election meeting that took place in October 2021? Listen to the Zoom webinar recording here.