Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 10:30 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Public Housing
The Committee on Public Housing held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), chaired by Chris Banks. NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hyatt and other authority officials testified that NYCHA projects a balanced $5.6 billion 2026 budget, faces roughly $80 billion in capital needs, and could lose at least $100 million due to a 14% federal operating cut. Council members questioned NYCHA on PACT/RAD conversions, the proposed demolition and redevelopment of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses, the roughly 6,100 vacant units awaiting turnover, rent arrears, and capital project delays. No votes were taken; the hearing concluded with extensive public testimony, largely from residents opposing demolitions and privatization and calling for Section 9 funding.
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0:13 , do I read this first go back
0:28 . Good morning. Welcome
0:29 today's New York City Council
0:30 preliminary budget hearing for
0:31 the committee on public
0:34 housing, please. Science, all
0:35 cell phone electronic devices
0:36 moving forward no one is still
0:37 approach data's if you wish t
0:38 oparticipate in today's hearing
0:39 .
0:40 Please fellow appearance
0:41 card with sergeant at arms
0:42 without further ado chair we
0:44 are ready to begin. Good
0:48 morning, everyone and a thank
0:50 you to everyone for attending
0:52 today's hearing on the city's
0:54 fiscal year 20 27 preliminary
0:57 budget and preliminary
1:01 mismanagement report and the
1:02 impact on the New York city's
1:03 housing authority. I.
1:04 Am Council Member Chris
1:07 Banks, the committee on public
1:08 housing and I'm joined today
1:11 by a Council Member mont
1:15 councilman eggs akron.
1:16 Accion I did, I did, I did
1:19 them. I did. I get it close
1:20 and Council Member.
1:24 Nitra operates the largest
1:25 public housing system in the
1:27 nation.
1:27 Serving more than half a
1:29 million working class and low
1:31 income New yorkers do section
1:34 nine public housing,
1:34 and sex eight voucher
1:38 program.
1:38 There is no question that
1:39 nature is a critical and
1:40 irreplaceable resource,
1:41 especially at a time when the
1:43 City is becoming an
1:45 increasingly unaffordable,
1:48 unaffordable yet decades of
1:51 this investment by successive
1:52 federal and state and City
1:55 administrations combined with
1:57 deep rooted organization of
1:59 have left public housing
2:00 residents living in
2:05 unacceptable conditions.
2:07 Unrtunfoately, this
2:08 preliminary budget represents
2:10 a continuation of the same
2:13 pattern disinvestment, neglect
2:14 and a lack of urgency, which I
2:19 believe will lead us further
2:20 down a path that residents
2:22 know all too well, the
2:25 administration has added an
2:26 additional 662 million towards
2:30 pack and rad conversions,
2:32 continuing to rely on these
2:35 programs as though they are
2:36 permanent primary solutions
2:39 . To nature's challenges, and
2:40 they are not in my district
2:44 alone more than has already
2:47 been invested across four
2:49 developments too. Rabid pack
2:51 conversions and yet residents
2:53 continue to experience the
2:55 exact same unacceptable
2:58 conditions, persistent
2:59 plumbing failures, brown water
3:01 coming from the taps, forcing
3:03 residents to bathe themselves
3:05 and their children just to get
3:07 to school and work on time.
3:11 Constant elevator outages,
3:13 sewage backups
3:14 . Mold concerns broken droo
3:16 locks, nonfunctioning intercom
3:19 systems, and these are not
3:21 isolated incidents and he's a
3:24 daily living conditions at the
3:25 same time this budget proposes
3:27 only a hundred 48 million. In
3:29 addition, funding for night,
3:31 five year capital commitment
3:34 an aplgainst an estimated 8
3:37 0billion in capital needs $148
3:41 million against $8000000008
3:43 0billion crisis does not come
3:44 close to meeting the scale of
3:48 need. Quite frankly, this
3:49 level of investment and
3:51 management amounts to an
3:53 abdication of duty despite
3:55 these failures is
3:56 administration is moving
3:57 forward with approximately 27
4:00 additional planned conversions
4:03 City, including three more
4:04 developments in my district
4:05 and at some point we must ask
4:08 the question where is the
4:10 accountability. Where is the
4:11 return on investment.
4:15 Tentsna continue to report
4:17 serious health and safety
4:18 issues, including lack of hea
4:21 t
4:21 . Unresolved mold pest
4:23 infestation. Lead based based
4:26 rof a federal monitoring polls
4:30 on in 20 19 and notably while
4:35 the administration has
4:36 convened a so called rental
4:37 rip off hearings to address
4:39 affordability and night
4:42 residents were once again
4:44 excluded from that
4:47 conversation altogether, and
4:48 this is deeply troubling
4:49 because the Mayor is not only
4:50 the city's chief executive.
4:52 He's also the landlord of
4:53 nature and if there is any
4:55 population that should be
4:57 front and center in
4:59 conversations about raising
5:01 housing course rent burdens
5:02 landlord abuse, lack of
5:03 repairs and more, it's public
5:06 housing.
5:07 Tenants. The role carries
5:09 with it a heightened
5:13 responsibility, one that
5:13 demands an unrelenting focus
5:15 on delivering safe,
5:17 livable conditions for night
5:19 two residents that focus and
5:21 that focus is not reflected in
5:25 this much.
5:25 Much of this crisis stems
5:27 from nature, longstanding
5:29 capital backlog previously
5:30 assessed that more than $78
5:34 billion, the committee. We
5:35 look forward. We're looking
5:37 forward, et tu hearing today
5:39 where the authority is
5:42 prioritizing these investments
5:43 when projects are behind
5:45 schedule and how the New
5:47 marrow administration plans t
5:48 oactivate nature as a
5:50 meaningful tool to address the
5:52 citywide affordable
5:56 affordability crisis while
5:56 alternative programs such as
6:00 pack and the preservation
6:01 trust's are positioned as
6:02 cornerstones of nature long
6:05 term capital strategy.
6:06 Serious questions still
6:09 remain. The committee expects
6:10 a clear answers on the
6:11 progress of these public
6:14 private partnerships and how
6:15 nature is ensuring that these
6:17 residents are treated but
6:20 dignity and respect on the
6:24 private management.
6:25 Regardless of the of the
6:26 program every night you're
6:28 tenet deserves timely repairs,
6:32 quality maintenance
6:33 . And a clean and safe place
6:36 to live and right now they are
6:38 not getting that. We also
6:40 deeply concerned about the
6:41 administrative failures
6:42 between nitrogen and it's
6:45 packed partners.
6:46 Poor communication,
6:49 bureaucratic overlaps are
6:50 leading to delayed rent, rick
6:52 recalculations that have
6:54 college catastrophic
6:55 consequences for residents
6:56 placing families and a rare
6:58 totaling tens of thousands of
6:59 dollars to know full of their
7:03 own and nitrous fifth school
7:04 year 20 26 operating budget
7:06 totals and as of December 202
7:11 5was not projected to run a
7:14 deficit. However, the
7:15 committee is interested in
7:16 hearing how changes in federal
7:19 policy, including heart
7:21 reduction in operating funding
7:22 affecting nitrous capacity t
7:24 ome this repair obligations and
7:26 deliver a central.
7:28 Services staffing, so
7:30 shortages operational in the
7:33 efficiencies on nowhere more
7:34 apparent than in nature vacant
7:35 unit readiness program.
7:38 Currently approximate
7:41 proximately 6100 apartments
7:44 remain vacant, taking an
7:45 average of 350 50 days to
7:48 return to service and this
7:50 represents more than just 20%
7:52 increase from the 4900 vacant
7:57 units identified just two
7:58 years ago at our fiscal year
8:02 20 25 preliminary budget.
8:03 Hearing despite over 247
8:06 million invested in addressing
8:10 this issue. At some point w
8:11 emust confront a difficult
8:14 truth.
8:14 Patchwork solutions,
8:16 recycled strategies are not
8:17 working, and it be time for
8:19 New eyes and a New approach
8:21 and potentially New leadershi
8:22 p, a New leadership team that
8:25 is singly focused on actually
8:27 fixing nitrous problems and
8:29 not managing their parents
8:31 knew York is proud of its
8:32 public housing and it
8:34 resilience of its residents
8:35 and at today's hearing, we
8:39 seek to understand how this
8:40 budget will avoid worsening
8:43 conditions, meaningful address
8:43 tonight, just capital needs t
8:45 owith the federal monitored
8:48 agreement and deliver a real
8:50 improvements
8:50 . To resident services and
8:52 long term sustainability.
8:55 First of all, I want to thank
8:56 my ah committee staff who
8:58 helped prepare today's hearing
9:01 a spectra, spencer's daniel
9:04 arrow, jose and my chief of
9:07 staff michael and the entire
9:08 team and now we'll turn it
9:10 over to the committee counsel
9:11 to swear in nature leadership
9:13 before proceeding with
9:19 testimony. Good morning,
9:20 everyone. If you could raise
9:21 your right hand. Please. Do
9:22 you affirm to tell the truth,
9:23 the whole truth and nothing
9:24 but the truth before this
9:25 committee and to respond
9:26 honestly to counsel member
9:30 questions.
9:31 Whenever you're ready,
9:31 proceed. And if you could just
9:32 state your name and title for
9:33 the record before you begin.
9:40 Thank you, chair Chris Banks,
9:41 members of the committee on
9:44 public housing. Other
9:45 distinguished members of the
9:48 City Council, nitra residents,
9:49 community advocates and
9:49 members of the public. Good.
9:52 Morning. I am lisa bova
9:54 hyatt niches chief executive
9:57 officer. I'm pleased to b
9:58 ejoined by chief operating
10:00 officer even tremble
10:02 ,executive vice president o
10:04 ffinance and chief financial
10:06 officer nicholas scott, chief
10:10 asset and capital management
10:12 officer sean ma, hani and
10:14 other members of niches
10:17 leadership team. Thank you for
10:18 this opportunity to present
10:19 the authorities adopted budge
10:23 t, which was approved by nature
10:25 of directors in
10:26 . I'm also pleased to update
10:28 you on the strides were making
10:30 to improve residents quality
10:31 of life while transforming and
10:34 strengthening our organizatio
10:38 n
10:38 . Despite a rent revenue
10:39 deficit of nearly half a
10:42 billion dollars and the
10:43 cumulative impacts of decades
10:45 of federal government under I
10:47 am pleased to report that we
10:50 anticipated anticipate a
10:51 balanced budget by year end
10:54 with $5.6 billion in expected
10:59 expenses matching our total
11:00 anticipated funding of $5.6
11:05 billion. We achieved this
11:06 balanced budget through a
11:07 variety of costs saving
11:10 measures end in 2026. We are
11:13 investing approximately $3.6
11:16 billion across the City to
11:19 improve residents homes for
11:20 today and for the decades t
11:23 ocome
11:23 . For nearly a century night
11:26 New yorkers a platform for
11:35 stability and opportunity
11:36 ,which strengthens the City as
11:40 a whole
11:40 . Today there are 240
11:43 0buildings and our section
11:46 eight and packed programs.
11:46 Nica is home to more than a
11:47 half a million people or one
11:51 in 16 New yorkers whom we also
11:54 support with cnectonions to
11:56 life changing economic
11:58 opportunities, social services
11:59 and health resources
12:03 . We are pursuing Mayor mom,
12:04 donny's charge to bring an all
12:06 hands on deck approach and to
12:09 use every available strategy
12:14 to address night that the
12:15 authority remains a vital
12:17 resource of affordable housing
12:18 in our City for another
12:21 century and beyond.
12:22 Mayor mom, daddy has been
12:24 clear that nature will be at
12:26 the forefront of the
12:28 administration's forthcoming
12:31 housing plan, and we welcome
12:32 that focus and investment we
12:34 have been meeting regularly
12:36 with deputy Mayor bos or g,
12:38 both while crafting the
12:40 preliminary budget and during
12:41 the development of the housing
12:43 plan.
12:43 To share the challenges and
12:46 the opportunities that we
12:50 foresee ahead and we greatly
12:51 appreciate the increased City
12:53 funding that will support our
12:54 pact and trust housing
12:57 preservation efforts. We are
12:59 especially focused on making
13:00 improvements in the areas that
13:02 matter most to residents and
13:03 which are under the purview of
13:05 our hut agreement. We are
13:08 making real progress as
13:10 demonstrated by our apartntme
13:13 inspection scores, which keep
13:16 improving, we continue t
13:17 oimprove elevator operations by
13:20 hiring and training additional
13:22 elevator mechanics teams while
13:23 investing in equipment that
13:24 will improve service last year
13:28 we resolved 90% of elevator
13:32 out outages within 10 hours
13:34 ,exceeding the hut agreements
13:39 85% threshold.
13:40 During the last heating
13:41 season, we resolved heat
13:42 outages and an average of 6.8
13:46 hours, well below the 12 hou
13:47 rhut agreement target and all
13:51 of the outages were resolved
13:52 within 24 hours as of first.
13:57 We have tested nearly 14000
14:01 0apartments for lead and have
14:02 abated lead in more than 18000
14:05 public housing apartments,
14:08 providing families with a safe
14:09 home and peace of mind are
14:13 packed, partners have abated
14:14 an additional 4400 apartments.
14:19 Our success in tackling gold
14:21 is measured by fewer
14:24 occurrences, fewer re
14:26 occurrences and improve
14:27 response times. There are
14:29 about 20% less New mould
14:32 complaints since 20 22 and the
14:35 re occurrence rate dropped
14:36 from 30% to 10% from 20 19 t
14:43 otoday
14:44 . We're now responding to mold
14:44 complaints in an average of
14:47 two days.
14:47 Down from 25 days and
14:51 resident satisfaction
14:52 concerning our mold work has
14:54 risen from 71% to 84%.
14:59 We have also made progress
15:00 in reducing the number of pest
15:02 extermination work orders from
15:04 nearly 17000 opening work
15:07 orders in January 2023, which
15:09 would take months to get t
15:12 odown to a workload of 7000
15:14 work orders open at any given
15:17 time
15:18 . Which allows us to address
15:18 work orders in an average of
15:22 five days and improved pest
15:24 management approach is a key
15:26 reason for the reduction
15:29 . We are responding to rat
15:30 complaints in an average of
15:33 approximately one day and
15:34 within about four days for
15:37 other pests exceeding the hut
15:41 agreement targets. Our budge
15:42 tis a vital road map for
15:46 responsibility, responsibility
15:47 and transparently planning our
15:48 operations and our capital
15:52 investments, as well as how
15:52 the authority will continue t
15:54 osupport residents over the
15:55 long term despite the numerous
15:58 and significant challenges. W
15:59 econtinue to face
16:02 . I'd like to thank less scott
16:05 martinez and the entire
16:06 finance department for their
16:08 hard work and dedication,
16:09 which has enabled us t
16:11 obalance our budget again this
16:15 year, continuing to improve
16:16 the quality and reliability o
16:17 fthe services we provide to
16:20 residents investing in our
16:22 buildings and ensuring nitra
16:23 families have a home they can
16:24 be proud of remains the focus
16:27 of our efforts and our
16:32 wholehearted commitment,
16:32 massive rent arrears remain
16:33 one of the challenges we must
16:37 navigate, constituting a
16:38 significant portion of our