Congressman Dan Goldman Fights for NYCHA Funding by Calling on Congress to Require HUD to Comply with Cost Saving Law
Urges Next Federal Budget to Force Department of Housing and Urban Development to Abide by Federal Law; Enable Certain Public Housing Authorities to Retain Millions of Dollars in Utility Savings
Compliance Would Ensure NYCHA Keeps $50 Million Per Year in Negotiated Savings
NYCHA is the Largest Public Housing Authority in the Country, Serving Nearly 340,000 New Yorkers
Read Letter Here
Washington D.C. - Last week, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) led his colleagues in the New York City delegation in urging the Committee on Appropriations to require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to abide by the statutory language in the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 to save the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) hundreds of millions over the next several years. The 1998 Act states that “a public housing agency shall receive the full financial benefit from any reduction in the cost of utilities or waste management resulting from any contract with a third party.” However, HUD regulations and policies almost always only allow Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to retain justhalfof their negotiated utilities savings, harming the PHAs who most need the funding. NYCHA would retain $50 million per year with HUD compliance. The letter further directs that the savings be used by NYCHA to address potentially life-threatening harm to public housing residents, including loss of heat in winter, loss of air conditioning in summer, lead, mold, broken elevators and locks, and more.
“Delivering for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers living in our public housing must be a priority for this Congress,”Congressman Dan Goldman said. “New York’s and America’s public housing authorities are woefully underfunded, resulting in years-long backlogs and unacceptable living conditions for tenants. It is past time that HUD abide by the language in the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act so that NYCHA can address the most urgent building repairs that are needed for safe conditions for our residents. I am proud to lead my colleagues in calling for HUD to support the thousands of NYCHA tenants in New York.”
Lucy Newman, staff attorney with the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society said, “Reversing the Utility Savings Reimbursement will provide NYCHA additional resources to meet capital needs, ensuring that apartments are safe and habitable for public housing residents. The Legal Aid Society thanks New York City’s Congressional Delegation for raising this issue with the Biden Administration and we urge the Department of Housing and Urban Development to abandon this onerous policy.”
NYCHA is the country’s largest Public Housing Authority, serving nearly 340,000 residents in over 160,000 apartments. New York’s 10th Congressional District is home to 31 New York City Housing Authority developments with over 35,000 residents.
Congressman Goldman remains firm in his commitment to support NYCHA and the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers they serve.
As one of his first acts in the House of Representatives, Congressman Goldman, along with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY-07), introduced the Public Housing Emergency Response Act. This bill would allocate $70 billion in funding for capital repairs and upgrades to public housing throughout the country. $32 billion of the allotted aid would be expected to flow directly to NYCHA.
Congressman Goldman’s office has been working directly with tenants to address specific issues occurring in various housing developments. Last month, Congressman Goldman’s office helped NYCHA tenants in Campos Plaza IIfix long-broken locks and regain access to their mailboxes. The Congressman also called an emergency meeting with NYCHA to address sewage backup issues in the Campos Plaza Community Center.
Last month, Congressman Goldman hosted his first pop-up constituent services clinic at Meltzer Towers. The Congressman and his office helped residents with a variety of issues, from mold and plaster issues, leaks in apartments, and health and safety conditions in apartments.
The Congressman's office is also working with Red Hook Houses to get a Recovery & Resiliency update meeting for residents updating them on Hurricane Sandy related repairs.
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