Tenant groups show up to NYCHA annual public hearing to oppose draft plan

New York City Housing Authority residents were dismayed about the draft plan for fiscal year 2027 discussed at the agency’s annual hearing last week. Many who testified repeated concerns about preserving Section 9 subsidies and the future of public housing.

NYCHA is home to more than 500,000 New Yorkers living in more than 177,000 apartments in 335 developments. The agency published its draft plan in June 2026 after guidance in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Block by Block housing plan, which set aside $5.6 billion to invest in NYCHA over the next five years.

The draft plan includes the agency’s high priority areas, such as addressing long-standing complaints about mold, heat outages, broken elevators, late inspections, pests and vermin, water leaks, broken door locks, and lack of security in various buildings.

It also aims to expand resident engagement with more public forums and tenant partnership meetings, build more affordable housing campuses, implement a five-year sustainability agenda by 2031, use air rights to raise revenue, and dedicate $10.2 million to permanently clear lead-based paint from 63 childcare centers on NYCHA campuses.

“The challenge remains enormous,” said NYCHA Board Chair James Rubin at the public meeting in Brooklyn on July 29, 2026. “We can make as many sustained investments as we want, but the fact is decades and decades of disinvestment have left us with an enormous hole to crawl out of.”

Residents and tenant groups testified to being apprehensive about the possible “privatization” of NYCHA under the guise of improvements. They were outraged about the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, which converts properties from Section 9 federal subsidies to Section 8 leases via Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and the Public Housing Preservation Trust, being central to Mamdani’s Block by Block plan for NYCHA.

Chants of “Save Section 9” were often repeated in the meeting by the attendees.

“Throughout this document, we see repeated references to conversions, transfers, modernization strategies, partnerships, and private developments. What [we do not see] is a serious commitment from the government to fully fund and preserve public housing,” said Councilmember Chris Banks, chair of the City Council’s public housing committee.

“Far too many residents continue to tell us that those basic conditions remain unacceptable,” Banks continued. “When NYCHA leadership, about a year ago … visited my district, they heard stories from residents — these are [PACT/RAD] developments — of aggressive evictions that were taking place, lack of responsiveness when issues arise, and a failure to address core infrastructure issues like plumbing. Important to note that these are all PACT and RAD converted developments.” PACT/RAD is the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together initiative, which is a plan to raise funds for repairs, and Rental Assistance Demonstration program, which converts Section 9 housing to Section 8 under PACT.

Councilmember Gale Brewer added that NYCHA should communicate properly about repairs and be better about engaging residents, as well as address rampant apartment vacancies in buildings.

“I’m here to say thank you to NYCHA for being responsive on some level, but for God’s sake, you have to work with those who are doing the construction,” said Brewer. “There is a real disconnect when we get to maintaining and repairing and making sure that if RAD/PACT goes through, every single detail has to be of the highest quality and has to have input from the tenants.”

Another key issue that several people testified against was the impending demolition of the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea (FEC) Houses housing developments in Manhattan. Both those who lived in the building and allies from other NYCHA buildings delivered fervent comments about the FEC demolition.

“I’m here to speak against the demolition for me and all my neighbors and all public housing residents throughout the five boroughs,” said Samantha Ortiz, a resident of Fulton Houses’s Building 10. “We do not want demolition. Our buildings are found sound and strong. We want rehabilitation. No privatization, no demolition, no displacement. Keep public housing public and fund Section 9, not Section 8. Listen to us, the residents. We are here speaking. This is affecting us and our families.”

Jacqueline Lara, another Fulton resident and tenant leader, added that the proposal to demolish FEC would be devastating to the community.

“Demolition should never be treated as the only solution when people’s homes and communities are at stake,” said Lara. “Before moving forward with such a life-changing proposal, NYCHA should fully explore preservation and rehabilitation options, and ensure that residents have a genuine voice in the decision- making process. I know personally what it means to lose a home. Before receiving my NYCHA apartment, I experienced homelessness and lived in a shelter. This apartment gave me stability, dignity, and hope. It is more than a place to live. It is my home. The thought of losing or seeing my community dismantled is heartbreaking.”

The post Tenant groups show up to NYCHA annual public hearing to oppose draft plan appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.