Critics, admit it: NYCHA is improving. Themayor and chair are making bold moves tomake the authority solvent and effective.BY RITCHIE TORRES , AIXA TORRES / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS / Sunday, June 28, 2015, 5:00 AM

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Over the years, we’ve fought many battles with the New York City HousingAuthority over quality-of-life issues — including repair times, mold andcommunity centers. We know from personal experience that NYCHA is notwithout its serious problems.

But it’s clear to us, and should be clear to all New Yorkers, that Mayor de Blasiohas made the city’s Housing Authority a priority. For the first time we canremember, New Yorkers have good reason to believe that NYCHA can becomea more productive, responsive landlord for the 403,000 people who call publichousing home.

Upon Shola Olatoye’s appointment as NYCHA chair and CEO in February 2014,de Blasio, recognizing that the authority was in the worst financial shape of itshistory, tasked her with two mandates: reset the relationship with allstakeholders, including residents, employees, elected officials and communityadvocates and create a long-term plan that would enable the authority toovercome its challenges and ensure its future.

The chair and NYCHA staff at all levels, in broad partnership with those who livein developments as well as community advocates, elected officials, unionleaders and policy experts at other city agencies and housing organizations,examined the most pressing issues demanding practical solutions: agingbuildings in need of repair; federal funding shortfalls of more than $2 billion since2001; a large senior population aging in place; and a waitlist the size of a smallcity.

NYCHA gathered input from all involved and crafted NextGeneration NYCHA —a realistic, comprehensive strategy to revitalize the Housing Authority into aviable, healthy public resource that New York City can actually afford tomaintain. That plan, calling for a transformation of the authority far moreambitious than anything in memory, requires some dramatic and unpopularchanges to the way NYCHA operates. But this chair, with the mayor at her back,has the courage to take bold steps.

NextGeneration NYCHA focuses on 15 specific strategies to preserve andprotect public housing for future generations. The work has already begun.

Take repairs, for example. Under the leadership of Olatoye, the time it takes torespond to a service request has declined by 90% in the past two years. In

Thinking bigSTEPHANIE KEITH/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

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January 2015, NYCHA started a pilot program at 18 developments whichdecentralizes property management, giving residents more decisionmakingopportunities and improving customer service and satisfaction.

The mayor has already provided unprecedented financial support to execute thenew vision: his waiver of NYCHA’s $30 million “payment in lieu of taxes” andrelief of payments to the NYPD totaling over $52 million in 2014 and $70 millionin 2015 will fund critical repairs.

He committed $300 million in capital funds over the next three years to replaceroofs, addressing a seemingly intractable mold problem, protecting the health ofresidents and reducing maintenance workload and operating expenses.

This isn’t small stuff, and there is momentum to get the authority on firmer fiscalfooting.

While we do not agree with everything NYCHA does or plans to do, we knowOlatoye is someone who we can work with over the long haul, and it’s plain asday she has the full confidence and support of de Blasio to make the changesNYCHA needs to protect and preserve the city’s precious public housing stock.

The financial and physical challenges a network of 328 aging developments didnot appear overnight; it would be unrealistic to think that the solutions Olatoyehas proposed will wipe away years of disinvestment and neglect in days orweeks. But between her vision and leadership and the mayor’s support andhistoric investments, the future is brighter for NYCHA and its residents.

Ritchie Torres is chair of the City Council’s housing committee. Aixa Torres (norelation) is the resident association president of Smith Houses.

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