Residents of Yorkville’s Isaac Houses will soon decide what path to take in the city’s effort to transform public housing and open up new revenue streams for repairs and renovations.
Residents will choose between two programs funded under the federal Section 8 program, which provides vouchers to help low-income tenants pay their rent, or maintain the status quo as a traditional Section 9 development, which funnels money directly to the city's housing authority but has been underfunded by Congress for decades.
The first Section 8 program, called PACT, would allow the New York City Housing Authority to partner with private companies to manage the Isaacs Houses. The second is the Public Housing Preservation Trust, a state program that would keep the complex entirely public.
NYCHA opened the 100-day public engagement period this week. A 30-day voting window will start on Feb. 13. It will be the first public housing development in Manhattan to vote on the two programs.
According to NYCHA, the PACT program would maintain public control and ownership of the land and buildings, but private companies would be hired for building management, renovations and repairs. The program would also bring social services to the complex.
The Public Housing Preservation Trust would entirely maintain public control and could double the amount of federal subsidies for public housing at complexes that take part, according to the housing authority. Established in 2022, the trust is a state-controlled entity that funds renovations by issuing bonds.
Residents at several other public housing complexes that have already signed onto the PACT program have expressed frustration about poor communication from companies selected to manage NYCHA properties. And at developments that have opted into the Public Housing Preservation Trust, residents have shared concerns about being relocated while repairs are done, according to reporting by City Limits.
NYCHA press secretary Michael Horgan said the agency will hold public information meetings, conduct door-knocking and phone-banking and distribute materials to residents to ensure they can cast an informed vote.
The Isaacs Houses are home to 1,131 residents and contain 633 apartments, according to NYCHA. The agency estimates that maintenance for the complex will cost $248 million across 20 years. Based on a 2023 estimate, NYCHA needs $80 billion for repairs across the city.
Natalie Maria, a lifelong resident of the Isaacs Houses, said she doesn’t yet know how she’ll vote, but she said she was worried the residents wouldn’t be properly informed of the different options.
“There’s families that have lived here for generations, and it has a community that needs a lot of investment,” she said. “ Outreach will be critical for us to form an opinion on what's best.”
