CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

CREATING A NEW VISION:MY FIRST 100 DAYS

Good things are happening at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). When Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed me as NYCHA's 21st Chair, the Board and I promised to work collaboratively with staff and residents to create a greener, more efficient, responsive and transparent agency—in short, to find better ways of doing what we do. October 16th is my 100th day as Chair. Here are a few highlights of what has been accomplished.

Instituting Change
The most recent and exciting change is the appointment of Michael Kelly as General Manager. Mike has a long history in public housing and comes to us from the Washington D.C. Housing Authority where he served as Executive Director. He is passionate about public housing and has a stellar 25-year hands-on track record. Mike brings valuable skills like brokering community relationships to make NYCHA stronger and more efficient. He will be a crucial, innovative leader involving entire communities as we take on the important challenges.

Over the next few weeks, other experts, like Mike Kelly, will be joining NYCHA. Their specific knowledge will help us fix our finances, our elevators, our energy systems and our information systems. They will make contributions in the area of resident employment and help to expand our resources and deploy them more efficiently.

Soon after my arrival at NYCHA I promised to create an excellent level of service for our residents. I want to hear what people at all levels are thinking, not just those at the top. To better grasp the challenges and opportunities NYCHA faces, I had a voluntary, confidential staff survey conducted. The results were shared, as promised, in four town hall-style meetings over two days this month with all NYCHA employees. I want to thank the staff for the helpful, thoughtful feedback they provided. This is the beginning of an open, ongoing dialogue on areas that need improvement and finding the best ways to address challenges.

Listening to our staff is just a part of the process. I’m equally committed to hearing what residents have to say. That has been an important part of my job since day one. I’m listening to the Unions that represent our workers and to the members of the communities where NYCHA developments are located. Other City agencies, HUD and elected officials add to the input. My goal is to listen, to empathize, to analyze and then to take action in developing a plan. Although I am leading the charge, this is a team effort.

Investing in Capital Improvements
As Journal readers know, NYCHA was awarded $423 million in federal stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Seventy-five projects were identified to utilize this funding. We’re already investing $10.8 million on parapet and brick repair at Highbridge Gardens in the Bronx, $2.91 million in heating upgrades at Kingsborough Houses in Brooklyn, $3.93 million in roofing and asbestos abatement at Adams Houses in the Bronx, and $7 million in apartment renovation at Whitman Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn. The list grows and the improvements are measured daily.

Revitalizing Resident Employment through REES
The newly created Office of Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES) oversees one of the most extensive Section 3 efforts in the country to ensure that NYCHA residents benefit from contracts NYCHA awards to bidders by providing not only jobs, but careers. We are focusing our attention to enhance economic prospects for residents by creating employment opportunities through public/private partnerships, extensive targeted training efforts in growth industries and the development of financial literacy initiatives. REES now reports directly to the Vice-Chair—one indication of the importance we are placing on resident hiring and training of one of our most important resources: NYCHA residents.

Driving the Green Agenda
NYCHA continues to move forward with its "green" agenda in support of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC2030. This summer the Mayor joined me at Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx to announce an allocation of $28 million from the city and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for green initiatives at the development. This project is also creating a dozen new jobs for residents.

NYCHA has installed over 500 instantaneous hot water heaters, 170,000 energy saving Compact Fluorescent Lamps, and an automated system in more than 200 boiler rooms, allowing for remote monitoring. And residents are getting involved too. NYCHA staff have worked with residents from 27 developments on the creation of resident led "Green Committees" to spread the message of personal responsibility.

The year ahead promises to be exciting. I will continue to share that progress with you and thank you in advance for your support.