‘It’s Something New’: Hylan Houses Tenants Decide Between PACT, Trust or Section 9

Residents living at NYCHA’s Hylan Houses in Bushwick have a few days left to make a decision on the next chapter of their homes. “I’m going with the Trust,” said tenant association president Audrey Fraser. “It’s something new.”

In Bushwick, 131 Moore St. is the lone building that makes up the Hylan Houses.

The 64-year-old property is surrounded by other New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, including Borinquen Plaza and Bushwick Houses. Also in the neighborhood are Hope Gardens and the Williamsburg Houses, which converted to private management in July 2019 and  December 2021, respectively.

Decisions about the next chapter for the 19-story Hylan Houses, home to more than 400 residents, is underway as tenants take part in the final stretch of a 30-day voting process that ends Dec. 12.

They’re being asked to choose what funding model they want for the development: to stay in Section 9, join the new Preservation Trust or convert to private management under the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program.

With one functioning elevator, the building’s lobby is more than just an entryway; it’s also a hub where tenants connected with each other as they waited their turn to cast ballots in person.

City Limits spoke with residents who’ve lived at the Hylan Houses from as far back as the 1960s and as recently as April. Tenants cited a shared appreciation for their close-knit community and also agreed on frustrations, such as lack of security in the building, plumbing issues and slow elevator service.

However, they didn’t all agree on the pathway forward. 

Audrey Fraser, one of the longest residents at Hylan Houses and the current tenant association president, said that she mailed her vote soon after the ballot was sent to her in November.

“I’m going with the Trust,” said Fraser. “I like the Trust because it’s something new.”

_{The elevator and lobby of the Hylan Houses, and signs advertising the voting process (Adi Talwar)}

The Public Housing Preservation Trust is an initiative signed into law by Gov. Hochul in June 2022 that uses bonds to fund repairs. It allows for public housing properties to remain public while unlocking funds from Project-Based Section 8, a more lucrative funding stream, by leasing them to the Trust, a new public benefit corporation.

So far, Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Bronx River Addition in Soundview and Unity Towers in Coney Island are slated to transfer to the Trust model after a majority at each development opted for it.

Fraser, like other residents City Limits spoke to, said that she went on a tour to see the renovations at the Williamsburg Houses, one of 139 housing developments taking part in another funding option on the ballot: the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) portfolio.

Similar to the Preservation Trust, when a complex converts to PACT, it leaves the traditional Section 9 public housing funding stream and converts to Project-Based Section 8. The difference, however, is that a private manager takes over the operational aspects such as maintenance, rent collection and work orders.

Within the first two years, construction work is typically done to give properties a facelift by renovating floors, kitchens, bathrooms and windows, as well as upgrading security systems.

Still, the modernization efforts were not enough to sway Fraser. “It looks nice but I’d rather do something new,” she said. “Maybe they’ll do something better for us.”

Jared Soto, a lifelong resident of Hyland Houses and a new member of the tenant association board, credited senior residents for upholding the strong community at Hylan. However, Soto said he would be voting online at a later date and is looking for a change from the “slow and tedious” existing NYCHA management.

“Between the three options, I think PACT would be the best option for us,” said Soto. “The amount of tickets and the amount of backlog is just ridiculous.”

As of October, there are more than 607,000 open work orders across NYCHA, according to its metrics. In the most recent Mayor’s Management Report, the average amount of time to finish skilled trades and vendor work was 133.4 days in Fiscal Year 2024. 

“With private management there, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem,” Soto said.

At the nearby Williamsburg Houses, a PACT Project Progress and Compliance Oversight report showed that of the 104 work orders created in the third quarter of 2024, 95 percent were completed on time, according to NYCHA. For PACT sites overall, the housing authority reported that 83 percent of 2,901 work orders created were resolved on time.

Last year, however, Gothamist first reported on the firing of a management company at Hope Gardens, a PACT development also located in the Bushwick neighborhood, for “repeated failures.”

Lynelle Simmons, who has lived at the Hylan Houses for five years, submitted her ballot in person and shared a similar sentiment as Soto.

“I think PACT is better because I see what they can do and how they can fix up the apartments,” said Simmons, who also toured Williamsburg Houses. “They have cameras in the hallway which are safe…in here [individuals] spray painted them.”

Of the four developments that were selected to vote so far, the Coney Island Houses in Brooklyn opted to remain a Section 9 complex. None have yet voted for PACT.

In-person voting takes place at the Hylan Houses in apartment 1A between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Hours will be extended on the last day, Thursday Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Next in line to vote are two Bronx developments, Throggs Neck Addition and Randall Avenue-Balcom Avenue set to begin in March.

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