Training to Strengthen Resident Engagement at NYCHA
Throughout 2023, NYCHA employees and residents are participating in training on NYCHA’s responsibilities regarding resident involvement and the importance of meaningful resident engagement, partnership, and participation in the Authority’s operations – and how we can improve the quality of life in NYCHA communities.
Greater resident participation is vital to NYCHA’s continuing efforts to strengthen the Authority and its relationship with residents, and is also required by Part 964 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Part 964 guidelines grant residents the right to organize and establish local and jurisdiction-wide resident councils (also known as resident associations), to participate and advise public housing authorities in all areas of public housing operations, and to receive funding for resident participation activities.
The day-long training also explores the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) NYCHA signed with the Citywide Council of Presidents (CCOP) in 2021, which officially recognizes the CCOP as the Authority-wide voice for residents and formalizes how NYCHA and CCOP will work together to enhance the operations and management of the Authority, deepen resident participation, and better address the issues that are most important to residents.
“This training has been long overdue and comes at a pivotal time for NYCHA, with new leadership I’ve been involved with the planning and facilitation of trainings since they began in January and it’s extremely rewarding to witness how robust each session has been,” said Rodney Gwyn, Senior Strategic Project Manager of Resident Services, Partnerships, and Initiatives. “Nothing compares to being in spaces where both residents and staff proudly acknowledge how pleased they were to come together to learn about the expectations of NYCHA partnering with residents to improve the overall quality of life for residents. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), our training partner CVR, and the CCOP for working alongside us to bring this effort to fruition.”
In addition to explaining the MOA and Part 964 guidelines, the trainers help employees deepen their understanding of how to integrate the regulations in their day-to-day work, demonstrate and practice what productive resident/NYCHA collaboration and effective property management and resident council meetings look like, and gain tips and tools for effective communication. There is also interactive role-play exercises where participants take turns being residents and property management employees to practice effective communication.
“Thanks to HUD Secretary Fudge for allowing this training to take place,” said Danny Barber, CCOP Chair. “It was very important for everyone to understand the [expected] roles/partnerships between NYCHA and the resident association.”
Training sessions began in February; to date, 983 employees and residents (706 employees and 277 resident association members/residents) have participated in 33 trainings held at New Lane Area, 90 Church Street, 1200 Waters Place, Pomonok Houses Community Center, Glenwood Houses Community Center, Van Dyke Houses, Conlon Lifhe Towers, Shelton Association Office, Fred Samuels Center, 787 Atlantic Avenue, Marlboro Senior Center, Astoria Center, and Henry Street Settlement Center.
The sessions are conducted by CVR Associates, a HUD-funded technical assistance provider. NYCHA’s Resident Services, Partnerships, and Initiatives (RSPI) Department organizes and schedules the trainings.
“The CVR team is honored to have been selected by HUD to provide this training to NYCHA staff and residents,” said Melanie Campbell, CVR Senior Vice President. “For decades, our team has seen first-hand how collaborative relationships between resident leaders and housing authority staff can lead to impressive accomplishments. The energy in the room has been incredible! We’re thrilled to see participants fully embrace the trainings and the concept of a collaborative working relationship. We can’t wait to see what great things come as a result.”
NYCHA employees and residents who participated in February and March trainings provided positive feedback about how the training will help strengthen relationships between NYCHA employees and residents:
- “Before this training I was planning to quit the [resident] association, but after taking this training, I am going to stay. It was helpful to understand how we all need to work together.”
– Resident association leader - “This training was very informative and engaging. Hope it inspires other property managers to engage more with their residents.”
– NYCHA employee - “Training was great! Learned a lot and, as a housing assistant, I will pass the information on to others.”
– NYCHA employee - “I am eager to see what happens after this training, as everyone appears genuinely concerned about the overall improvement of NYCHA.”
– NYCHA employee
Training sessions will take place every month throughout the year, and the training will be offered next year as well. By the end of December 2023, it is expected that approximately 1,200 participants will have completed the training.