‘Maintenance Cares’ Program Targets Priority Repairs Across NYCHA 

To improve residents’ quality of life, NYCHA maintenance staff are helping to resolve apartment conditions in urgent need of repairs through a new Authority-wide initiative known as “Maintenance Cares.” 

Under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new inspection model, the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE), NYCHA is required to conduct annual inspections of each apartment across the portfolio. NYCHA maintenance workers or contracted vendors perform these annual inspections to reduce health and safety hazards in homes.  

Hoping to expedite apartment repairs that need immediate attention by skilled trades employees or vendors, the Property Management Operations Department launched the Maintenance Cares program citywide in February after an outreach campaign at developments. When maintenance workers are conducting the annual inspections, they immediately report a repair for escalation if it meets one of 10 serious conditions that could impact health and safety, including loss of power, significant leaks, damaged ceilings, open walls, or excessive hoarding.  

Workers will document the issue with photos and a brief description and submit the report via a dedicated Maintenance Cares email address to prioritize the repair. While some minor repairs may be performed on the spot, repairs that require more complex work and expertise are addressed by skilled trades staff, including plumbers, electricians, plasterers, carpenters, and painters.  

The new escalation process is allowing NYCHA staff to complete some critical apartment repairs more quickly at dozens of developments while helping to ensure safe and habitable conditions for residents.   

“Our maintenance workers are our true eyes and ears inside our apartments, and through Maintenance Cares we have created a direct path for them to escalate urgent apartment conditions to Property Management leadership,” said Dan Greene, Executive Vice President of Property Management. “If we all work as a team and communicate better, we can make a life-changing difference for our residents.” 

Claire Keaveney, Skilled Trades Strategic Advisor in Property Management Operations, said: “We’re trying to create a better environment for everybody – for the residents and also the staff. The maintenance crews are the eyes of NYCHA and are on the ground, so this puts some power into their hands as well. They’re doing a lot of good work.”  

Over the first few months of the program, nearly 70 developments across the city have escalated at least one Maintenance Cares case. Nearly 370 total escalations have been reported so far, including over 70 priority reports, with about 60 cases closed.   

At Brooklyn’s Albany Houses, Resident Buildings Superintendent Lamar Fields said Maintenance Cares is “helping out great” since taking effect, noting that staff have escalated seven cases for residents as of mid-April.  

“I definitely appreciate the hard work and dedication everybody does in order to make this happen,” said Mr. Fields, who has worked at Albany Houses for four years. “Using this program helps out with trying to expedite some of those repairs that are needed to prevent other problems in the apartments.” 

Some examples of apartment repairs completed thanks to Maintenance Cares escalations.

As part of Maintenance Cares, developments that are among the most successful in helping to close cases through the program will have the opportunity to be selected for a monthly recognition award. 

Mr. Fields said that Albany maintenance staff have been pleased to support the initiative’s goals and bring attention to issues that could impact residents’ quality of life. 

“The program definitely helps, and I believe that the residents we’re helping are appreciating everything that we’re doing,” he said. 

Featured photo caption: The Maintenance Cares team at Albany Houses in Brooklyn.