Following 100 Days of Public Engagement, Voting Begins at Nostrand Houses
Residents Have Unprecedented Opportunity to Decide the Future of Their Development
During the 30-Day Voting Period Running Through December 7, Residents Will Choose Between Joining the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust or the PACT Program or Remaining Section 9
Residents Will Be Able to Vote Online or by Mail Beginning Today or In Person During the Last 10 Days of the Voting Period
On November 8, NYCHA commenced the official start of resident voting at Nostrand Houses following 100 days of public engagement at the development in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn. The vote, which was announced for the site in August 2023, will run for 30 days, providing an unprecedented opportunity for residents to have a say in the future of their development by choosing between three ballot options: joining the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust or the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program or remaining Section 9. While Nostrand residents may start voting online or by mail today, they may also cast their votes in person during the last 10 days of the election period — from November 28 through December 7. As specified by the voting procedures in the legislation establishing the Public Housing Preservation Trust, a qualified, independent, third-party administrator will conduct and oversee the election.
“Nostrand Houses residents have a unique opportunity to determine the future of their homes — and it begins today,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “The NYCHA Trust offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring in billions in federal dollars and deliver long-overdue repairs for thousands of residents. In the 100 days since I last visited Nostrand, NYCHA has conducted a thorough engagement process to give residents the tools they need to make this decision, and I urge every eligible resident to take this opportunity, make your voice heard, and shape the future of not only your community but also public housing across New York City and the country.”
“This administration is committed providing avenues for NYCHA residents to drive the decisions about the future of their homes and communities,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “This monumental first-ever resident vote offers residents multiple ways to participate in the future of Nostrand Houses, and serves as a major milestone marking the importance of resident voices across NYCHA.”
“This is a pivotal moment for not only the residents of Nostrand Houses but for all of NYCHA,” said NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Nostrand, as the first development to hold a vote about the future of their development, is paving the way for the developments to come in the face of tremendous capital needs across the portfolio. No matter what decision this vote yields, residents are letting their voices be heard and will serve as the driving force behind what the future holds for their homes and their communities.”
“This is an exciting time to live at Nostrand,” said Nostrand Houses Resident Association President Barbara McFadden. “We have a real opportunity to bring change to the development, and to our homes. I cannot stress enough how important this vote is. I hope to see all of my neighbors taking full advantage of this opportunity because, at the end of the day, we deserve this.”
Nostrand Houses is the first NYCHA development to hold a resident vote, with 2,173 residents in approximately 1,150 apartments across 16 buildings. It is estimated that Nostrand has more than $600 million in 20-year capital needs and ranks in the 80th percentile of NYCHA buildings for immediate physical needs. Portfolio-wide, a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) released by NYCHA this summer estimates the Authority’s total capital needs to be at $78.3 billion following decades of federal disinvestment. If selected by residents, both the Public Housing Preservation Trust or the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program would convert the development from Section 9 Public Housing to Project-Based Section 8 and leverage alternative streams of funding available through the federal government. Residents also have the option of remaining within the traditional public housing financing structure, Section 9.
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, 138 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.
A fully public entity, the Public Housing Preservation Trust is expected to unlock billions of dollars in federal funding for much-needed, comprehensive renovations at NYCHA developments to improve living conditions for residents. The Trust was established by Mayor Adams and NYCHA in May 2023 and authorized by a law signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul last year following extensive advocacy from NYCHA. Under the Trust, a development is kept 100 percent public and converted to Project-Based Section 8, while ensuring residents always maintain their rights — including permanently affordable rent.
Also central to the legislation was providing residents the power to determine the future of their developments. The voting process was memorialized in July 2023 through the development of Voting Procedures, which were developed in consultation with residents and resident advocates. After consideration of more than 300 comments from residents, elected and government officials, advocates, and members of the public, the final Voting Procedures address all elements required by the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust Act, including how NYCHA will inform residents of an upcoming vote at their development, the information to be provided on each option residents will consider, the criteria used to determine voter eligibility, how and for how long residents may cast a vote, the minimum resident participation required for the vote results to be valid, as well as how the vote results will be determined, to ensure transparency into the voting process as well as provide confidence in the ultimate vote results. No development will be transferred to the Trust without a resident vote opting for this measure.
During the 100-day public engagement period leading up to the vote at Nostrand, residents had the opportunity to attend meetings in person or virtually and interact with NYCHA’s voter engagement team, who were available on-site, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to speak with Nostrand residents and answer any questions. In an effort to meet residents where they are, NYCHA’s voter engagement team conducted door-knocking and phone-banking and distributed informative materials on the Nostrand campus – they connected with interested residents one-on-one and explained the upcoming vote and the ballot options. These and other engagement efforts amounted to over 2,200 individual conversations with eligible voters. The voter engagement team will continue its efforts to reach Nostrand residents throughout the voting period.
Residents of Nostrand are eligible to vote if they are 18 years or older and on the household composition. Participation from a minimum threshold of 20 percent of all heads of household is required for a vote to be considered valid and binding. The independent voting administrator will conduct the vote, receive and investigate any allegations of irregularities or misconduct, and certify the voting results.
Voting at Nostrand Houses will conclude on Thursday, December 7, 2023. Once the 30-day voting period has ended, votes will be tallied and announced.
Photo caption: The announcement of Nostrand Houses as a voting site in August 2023.