New York City’s system of public housing is already notoriously known as “the projects,” but the most pressing issues of the New York City Housing Authority have yet to be adequately addressed.
Established in 1934 by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, NYCHA has provided an essential service as New York City’s largest landlord. Tenants pay low rent, but if their income rises, so does their cost of housing. After 70 years, this system has proven unsuccessful for long term residents who raise their families in the projects. This ineffectiveness inadvertently resulted in long waitlists for hundreds of thousands who look to join public housing.
However, scarcity and overcrowding is not at the top of NYCHA’s list of problems. In the last few years, crime, accidents and mismanagement have all increased. NYCHA has attempted to cover up its mismanagement by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on improving their public image. While the program faces severe budget issues and dire repairs, the mayor-appointed NYCHA board members enjoy six-figure salaries and are not accountable to their residents.
A 2012 report indicated that NYCHA had a backlog of 338,000 requests for repairs. These range from broken elevators to inefficient locks or a broken sink. In some cases, broken walls and rat infestations create serious health hazards for residents.
A significant portion of New York City’s violent crimes occur on NYCHA property — about 20 percent. As a result, a majority of residents do not feel safe in their own homes. In recent years, politicians have allocated over $40 million in taxpayer money for NYCHA to install security cameras. Although NYCHA claims to have installed security cameras in 538 buildings, residents and media outlets have repeatedly pointed out that the majority of the money has not been spent and that the Authority has been slow to improve security.
Since 1994, under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, NYCHA has had to pay $58 million annually to a special section of the New York Police Department which over the years has amounted to $1.2 billion. While it began as an effort to increase security, the money has failed to provide widespread safety in public housing and only intensified NYCHA’s debt.
This fee treats residents of public housing units as second-class citizens who must pay for protection. Local politicians have publicized the issue and brought it to the attention of New York City’s mayor and police commissioner. The latter does not wish to lose additional fare from NYCHA and the former is a good friend of the police commissioner. Fixing NYCHA’s issues begins with ending unjust policies that require tax-paying citizens to pay an extra fee for police protection. This would require either direct action from New York City’s mayor or by NYCHA’s board. Mayor Bloomberg’s negligence on this issue leaves it up to the city’s residents to elect a far more responsible mayor who will answer the deep-seated public housing issues plaguing New York City.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 28 print edition. Carlos Estevez is a staff columnist. Email him at [email protected].
