Community Advisory Committee – August 2021

On Tuesday, August 10, 2021, Federal Monitor Bart M. Schwartz and Resident Engagement Monitoring Team Leader Asha Muldro hosted the 12th Meeting of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) via Zoom. A recording of the meeting is available on the NYCHA Monitor’s YouTube channel.

Mr. Schwartz opened the meeting praising all CAC members for having productive meetings. He also mentioned the completion of NYCHA’s Implementation Plan being a primary focus of the Monitoring Team.

CAC members provided the following updates:

• Deputy Monitor Dan Brownell gave a recap of the Town Hall focused on the NYCHA Heat Action Plan.
  New York City Fire Department Director of Community Affairs, Fabricio Caro, highlighted meetings held between the FDNY, NYCHA Resident Engagement and NYCHA Resident Associations. In the near future, he anticipates presenting educational series focused on fire safety and issues related to lithium-ion batteries.
• Michael Kirwin with the FDNY Fire Prevention explained the Department’s procedure for accessing stuck elevators. He recommended the monitoring team to coordinate a procedure in which 911 dispatch also notifies NYCHA’s Elevator Department when contacting the FDNY.
• Captain Dennis Gray with the New York City Police Department presented the latest crime statistics and noted a higher number of incidents related to grand larcenies, homicides and felony assaults.
• New York City Department for the Aging Senior Director, Agnes Mak, announced the reopening of 284 senior centers with 25% capacity, as well as the restart of meal services. She also provided information on a new nutritional education program and virtual meetings with seniors to discuss growing herbs.
• NYCHA Executive Vice President for Strategy & Innovation, Eva Trimble, reported on outcomes from the resident roundtables in June with 32 residents participating and now working with NYCHA on the implementation of the transformation plan.
• NYCHA Resident Engagement Department Manager, Gina Watkins, discussed the upcoming process for tenant association nominations and elections.

During the meeting, several CAC members representing various housing developments, had the opportunity to ask questions and express their concerns. These include:

• RAD conversions and contractor issues affecting residents.
• Continued concerns with safety, security, pests and waste issues.
• Creating strategies to involve residents with development cleaning.
• Clarification on NYCHA’s pet and smoking policies.

Mr. Schwartz closed the meeting by thanking all of the members for their contributions. The next CAC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Please visit the nychmonitor.com website for more details.