Runoff Vote Begins at Hylan Houses
On February 26, NYCHA officially commenced a 30-day tie-breaking runoff vote at Hylan Houses following a new 30-day period of public engagement at the Brooklyn development. This comes after the first round of voting concluded on December 12, 2024, with a full recount of votes on January 8 confirming the tie between residents’ top two selections of the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust and the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. Hylan Houses residents will now have the opportunity to cast their votes again, this time choosing between these two ballot options. Residents may begin voting online or by mail today or can cast their votes in person during the final 10 days of the election period, beginning on March 18. A qualified, independent, third-party administrator will conduct and oversee the election, and the option that receives the most votes at the end of the runoff voting period will be honored.
“Raising up community voices in our city is incredibly important, especially the voices of residents at Hylan Houses,” said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. “This tie-breaking runoff vote at Hylan Houses allows residents to determine the future of units many have called home for decades. I urge all residents to participate in this next round of voting so they can have a say in the shaping of the future of their community.”
“I applaud the residents of Hylan Houses for staying engaged throughout the voting and runoff process that will determine the future of their homes,” said Executive Director for Housing Leila Bozorg. “This vote guarantees that residents have an active say in forging the future of their community, and I highly encourage all residents to participate in this round of voting so they can make their voices heard.”
“The tie-breaking runoff vote at Hylan Houses is a significant moment for residents,” said NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “This process ensures that residents can make their voices heard, and I encourage all eligible Hylan households to participate in this important decision.”
The protocol for breaking a tie, as is now being carried out, is outlined in the official voting procedures.
With the selection of either the Trust or the PACT program, Hylan Houses would convert from Section 9 public housing to Project-Based Section 8 and leverage streams of funding available through the federal government.
The New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, a fully public entity signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022, is expected to unlock billions of dollars in federal funding for comprehensive renovations at NYCHA developments to improve living conditions for residents. Under the Trust, a development is kept 100 percent public and converted to the more stable, federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program, while residents maintain their rights, including permanently affordable rent.
If resident select PACT, the program will infuse significant funding to the campus. NYCHA will continue to engage with residents on all aspects of the PACT project plans, including apartment and building repairs, infrastructure investments, environmental remediation, and enhancements to property management, security, and social services. The PACT program transitions developments from traditional Section 9 assistance to Project-Based Section 8 and unlocks funding for resident-selected PACT partners to complete comprehensive repairs and to oversee daily property management of the campus. Overall, 146 NYCHA developments (representing nearly 39,000 apartments) are in pre-development, are under construction, or have completed construction through the program. This represents over $13 billion in capital repairs for the Authority. 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.
During the 30-day public engagement period leading up to the runoff vote at Hylan Houses, NYCHA’s voter engagement team held public information meetings, conducted door-knocking and phone-banking, and distributed informative materials to residents. NYCHA’s voter engagement team also met regularly with interested residents one-on-one to explain the upcoming tie-breaking runoff and the ballot options.
The first round of voting kicked off on November 13, 2024, and resulted in 83 votes each for the Trust and PACT, and nine votes to remain Section 9. Following this runoff vote, the independent voting administrator will perform an initial tally on March 28. Additional mail-in ballots that are received and postmarked no later than the final day of voting will be counted on April 3, and the final, tie-breaking results will then be announced.