On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at 6:00 PM ET, Federal Deputy Monitor Dan Brownell and Community Engagement Monitoring Team Leader Edna Wells Handy hosted the 19th meeting of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) via Zoom. A recording of the meeting is available on the NYCHA Monitor’s YouTube channel.

Monitoring Team Member, Floretta Hudson opened the meeting and thanked everyone for attending. She reminded all that safety and security is a top priority for the Monitor and we will be spending time discussing those issues. There were numerous updates provided and suggestions made throughout the meeting:

  • New York City Police Department Deputy Inspector, Howard Gottesman, reported on the year-to-date crime statistics at NYCHA developments and informed the NYPD’s commitment of working diligently to get the number of incidents down to pre-pandemic levels. He also announced that homelessness initiatives are starting back up with the turn of the weather and urged residents not to leave gasoline and electric power vehicles inside buildings.
  • A discussion ensued about issues related to key fobs; resident watch programs; CCTV footage and its use for convictions; emergency forced break-ins by the FDNY, and FDNY training for key fob procedures and protocols. There was a consensus amongst committee members for NYCHA’s Director of Safety and Security, Chief Secreto, the NYPD and the NYFD, to work on crime and safety issues together including the creation of an action plan and meeting regularly. Mr. Brownell offered the assistance of the monitoring team to help with opening the communication lines.
  • CAC Committee Member/Bronx Resident Representative, Robert Hall requested assistance from Chief Secreto on procuring CCTVs for Gun Hill Houses.
  • Brownell also outlined highlights from the Monitor’s recent metrics and data report and noted the significant decline in heating outages as a result of NYCHA’s successful summer preparedness program.
  • New York City Councilmember Alexa Avilés provided an update on the City Council meeting for NYCHA Resident Engagement and noted the department’s inadequate staffing levels.
  • New York City Department for the Aging Senior Director, Agnes Mak, announced the launch of its Join Us campaign to get more residents back to the community centers; the continuation of monthly cooking demonstrations; and resident access to free nutrition counseling.
  • CAC Committee Member/Queens Resident Representative, Manny Martinez offered ideas for reducing repair costs of the handles on building entrance doors. He also suggested for NYCHA to review its diversity composition within its Trades department and for residents to see Section 3 contracts.
  • NYCHA member, Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad, provided updates on the capital tracker including a user survey and the development of a new version with more information on projects and a FAQs section. She also announced that NYCHA is working on its annual recertification initiative which will include extended hours to assist residents with their recertifications.
  • NYCHA Resident Engagement Manager, Samantha Rogers, announced the commencement of Resident Roundtable 2.0 to determine if recommendations are feasible for implementation.

Ms. Handy closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their participation and announced the next CAC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7, 2023.