Tenants at NYCHA’s Riis Houses Will Vote on Whether to Shift to Private Management

Unlike other developments where NYCHA has held votes in recent years, residents at the Jacob Riis Houses will choose between only two options: the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program and remaining in Section 9, the current federal program it’s funded under.

Tenants at a Manhattan NYCHA complex that made headlines after a false alarm over its drinking water back in 2022 are next in line to vote on its funding future.

NYCHA announced on Feb. 11 that residents at the Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village will head to the polls and decide on which funding model they feel can make for the best investment moving forward. But there’s a twist.

Unlike other developments where NYCHA has held votes in recent years, residents at the Jacob Riis Houses will choose between only two options: the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program and remaining in Section 9, the current federal program it’s funded under. The decision comes after TA leadership at the Jacob Riis Houses requested putting PACT as an option on the table to get repairs done, according to NYCHA. 

Typically, when a housing development is selected to vote on a funding model, the Notice of Vote is followed by a 100-day engagement period where NYCHA staff and community organizations walk residents through each of the ballot options and answer questions, as required by legislation that established the Public Housing Preservation Trust, another funding model rolled out in 2022. 

Are you a tenant living at the Jacob Riis Houses? Share your thoughts about the upcoming vote with reporter Tatyana Turner: [email protected] 

Since the Trust won’t be on the ballot at Riis, there is more flexibility in the voting procedure. Residents will vote beginning next Thursday, Feb. 27—just under two weeks after getting a Notice of Vote. The housing authority says the Riis Houses community already had a “robust resident engagement process” that lasted more than a year beginning in January 2024.

“Working collaboratively with TA leadership and considering the needs of each development are critical steps in this process, and we are excited to continue moving forward with Riis residents on how they can modernize their homes though the PACT program should they choose,” said Lisa Bova-Hiatt, the housing authority’s chief executive officer, in a statement.

The PACT program, an extension of the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) initiative introduced in 2011, converts traditional public housing developments under the Section 9 program to another federally funded program called Project-Based Section 8, which offers twice as many dollars. The transition allows properties to operate under a third-party company, which manages everything from maintenance to rent collection. 

Votes at other NYCHA campuses in recent years have included a third option, the Public Housing Preservation Trust. Similar to PACT, developments that join the Trust convert to Project-Based Section 8. But instead of having a third-party manager, NYCHA continues to maintain operations while applying the additional federal dollars  toward issuing bonds to fund repairs.

The Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, the Bronx River Addition Houses in Soundview and Unity Towers in Coney Island are all slated to join the Trust after a majority of residents voted for the initiative.

Under legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in June 2022, at least 20 percent of heads of households at a given NYCHA complex must participate for votes to be legitimized. Though the Trust is not on the ballot for Riis residents, the participation threshold will remain the same. 

Since 2016, when PACT was implemented in New York City, close to 39,000 units have been converted over to the program. Though NYCHA is more than halfway to its goal of having 62,000 units in the PACT portfolio, it still yields criticism and skepticism from some tenants, who’ve complained about unattended work orders and increased evictions under private management.

In December, Comptroller Brad Lander released an audit that showed PACT eviction rates “significantly exceeded” the rate of NYCHA evictions during Fiscal Year 2024, and that property managers at some PACT sites did not follow eviction protocols, such as outreach to NYCHA.

To date, none of the housing developments selected to vote have chosen PACT, although a runoff vote at the Hylan Houses in Brooklyn, also kicking off next week, may change that. 

Daphne Williams, a tenant association president at the Jacob Riis Houses, said in a statement that she believes PACT could be the best option for the campus, but still encouraged her neighbors to make a decision for themselves.

“I understand people might be afraid of change under PACT, but rumors of losing your home due to PACT are untrue,” said Williams. “PACT has the potential to provide better living conditions. Time is of the essence, so it’s important that every resident come out and vote!”

Jacob Riis Houses I and II, comprising 1,769 units, have a combined capital repair need of $940 million, according to NYCHA’s 2023 Physical Needs Assessment.

Residents at Jacob Riis will have 30 days to vote, between Feb. 27 and March 28. Ballots can be cast online or by mail, and in-person voting will take place during the last five days of the voting period, starting on March 24.

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