In a crucial discussion regarding NYCHA’s more than 8,000 vacant units and issues with housing transfers for residents and would-be tenants, Anna Luft (Director of NYLAG’s Public Housing Justice Project) testified before the New York City Council’s Committee on Public Housing in support of Int. 111 and Int. 122, which would mandate that NYCHA implement greater transparency in its reporting of vacant units.
19% of NYCHA’s budget is from its rental revenue, and yet since 2020, vacancy rates have more than doubled from close to 0% to 2%. As the future of federal funding for NYCHA is called into greater uncertainty and NYCHA calls residents into housing court for Covid-era arrears, it is unacceptable that so many units remain vacant and NYCHA willingly forgoes the potential income from these units.
But more importantly to our clients, NYCHA’s failure to move vacant units promptly results in due process violations, exacerbating existing inequities and destabilizing families and communities in the process. NYCHA residents seeking transfers based on overcrowding, reasonable accommodations, or even safety issues will have to wait months, if not years, for a unit to open up all the while living in unsafe conditions, whether it be environmental or social. Meanwhile, these same residents see empty units as they walk around their developments. This disconnect fosters the feeling of distrust between residents, their advocates, and NYCHA.
