NYCHA Abates More Than 10,000 Apartments to Be Lead-Free

On October 24, NYCHA announced that it has surpassed 10,000 public housing apartments abated to be lead-free. Since the signing of the 2019 Agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which outlined lead-based paint as a key pillar area, the Authority has made substantial progress in its work to identify and remediate lead hazards, and its prioritization of the health of residents, especially young children under the age of 6. Through the Lead-Based Paint Abatement Program, NYCHA’s Healthy Homes Department is currently conducting lead-based paint testing at a rate of 700 to 800 apartments per week – having successfully tested over 86,000 apartments at the newer, stricter 0.5 milligrams per square centimeter (mg/cm²) threshold – and abating at a rate of 300 to 400 apartments monthly, a historic number for any landlord of this scale. As of October 1, 2024, more than 48,000 apartments have also tested negative for lead-based paint at the stricter 0.5 mg/cm² threshold. This significant milestone comes as the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together Program (PACT) has simultaneously abated an additional 3,000 apartments to be lead-free, including the vast majority of apartments at Harlem River and Williamsburg Houses — two previously heavily contaminated sites named in the HUD Agreement.

“HUD continues its collaboration with NYCHA to create safer homes, mitigate serious health risks, and protect children from lead hazards,” said HUD Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey Alicka Ampry-Samuel. “HUD’s 2019 Settlement Agreement with NYCHA mandated abatement of all lead-based paint at Harlem River Houses and Williamsburg Houses as one of the first abatement milestones; it’s encouraging to see that goal becoming a reality. Lead poisoning isn’t just a housing issue — it’s a crucial health equity concern. HUD remains fully committed to addressing it and protecting the health and safety of NYCHA residents.”

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of NYCHA’s Healthy Homes Department to make safer and better-quality apartments for NYCHA residents,” said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. “NYCHA’s milestone of 10,000 homes abated to be lead-free is another example of this administration’s dedication to ensuring all New York City families are able to live in the safe, quality housing they deserve.”

“Following the signing of the 2019 HUD Agreement, we really set course for a lead-free NYCHA,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “And what’s come from that commitment is a nationally recognized lead program that emphasizes thorough inspection and removal, supplemented by enhanced quality assurance protocols. I’m so proud of the progress we’ve made, having abated 10,000 homes of NYCHA residents across the city to be lead-free, with particular significance placed on units where young children reside or frequently visit, and I look forward to continuing this work with the same, continued dedication.”

“NYCHA’s Healthy Homes Department has worked tirelessly to get to a point where hundreds of apartments are being tested per week and hundreds of apartments are being abated on a monthly basis,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President of Property Management Operations Daniel Greene. “NYCHA residents deserve to live in lead-free homes, and that’s why we’ve placed such importance on establishing and implementing a lead program that can serve as an example for other housing authorities across the nation.”

“Abating 10,000 homes to be lead-free and testing over 86,000 apartments at the stricter 0.5 level represent significant milestones in NYCHA’s efforts to address lead across the portfolio,” said NYCHA Senior Vice President for Healthy Homes Jaclyn Sullivan. “While we’re very proud of what’s been accomplished so far, we’re looking to the future and will continue using every tool at our disposal as we work toward a lead-free NYCHA.”

“NYCHA’s PACT program has provided over 3,000 families with safe, lead-free homes. PACT is a critical tool that, through partnerships with private and non-profit development partners, allows us to not only provide lead-free homes but modernize entire developments,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “Our partner teams have helped NYCHA achieve this critical milestone, and our partnerships continue to show how the PACT program can help NYCHA deliver on our mission.”

Since 2019, NYCHA has worked with its federal Monitor and agency oversight partners to develop and implement robust policies and protocols to address lead hazards in public housing developments. The Authority implements various programs aimed at identifying and addressing potential lead hazards, including visual and risk assessments in apartments and common areas and remediation work to address identified hazards. NYCHA’s Lead Hazard Control Department also works to validate abatement totals through its verification efforts and quality assurance protocols. These efforts include enhanced quality assurance measures and post-abatement inspections. NYCHA’s Compliance and Environmental Health & Safety departments maintain detailed reporting on compliance with federal and local requirements related to its performance of lead-related work, and these reports are shared with its federal partners and posted on NYCHA’s public website. The results of these quality assurance inspections are also covered in public reporting about NYCHA’s abatement program. These comprehensive efforts reflect the Authority’s commitment to protecting the health and well-being of families in public housing.

NYCHA is proactively testing and abating lead-based paint across its entire portfolio, with a strong focus on apartments where children under the age of 6 live. The Team for Enhanced Management Planning and Outreach (TEMPO) Program offers full lead abatement of apartments in accordance with the City’s standard of 0.5 mg/cm² and accelerates the abatement of lead-based paint in apartments where children under the age of 6 live or routinely visit more than 10 hours per week. The Authority also works to identify apartments occupied by young children to ensure their safety through annual notices, periodic phone surveys, and door knocking. TEMPO offers and facilitates temporary relocation for all residents during the abatement process.

The PACT program has also made substantial progress addressing environmental hazards, having abated over 3,000 apartments to be lead-free and counting. Most notably, under the PACT program, over 85 percent of apartments at Harlem River and 100 percent of the apartments at Williamsburg Houses are now lead free, two previously heavily contaminated sites named in the 2019 HUD Agreement. Lead abatement work at these developments requires all households to temporarily move to a vacant unit at the property while abatement and renovation work is completed in their apartment. The PACT program transitions developments from traditional public housing assistance to the more stable, federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program – unlocking funding for designated PACT partners to complete comprehensive repairs. Overall, 139 NYCHA developments (representing over 37,000 apartments) are in pre-development, are under construction, or have completed construction through the program. The Authority is on track to include 62,000 apartments in the PACT program in order to bring the benefits of comprehensive apartment repairs and building upgrades, as well as enhanced property management and social services, to more than 142,000 residents.

Photo caption: A visual paint assessment.