On Tuesday, October 11, 2022, Federal Monitor Bart M. Schwartz and Resident Engagement Monitoring Team Leader Asha Muldro hosted the 18th 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 by welcoming attendees and thanking committee members for participating. There were numerous updates provided and suggestions made throughout the meeting:

  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator for Region II, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, announced that she is receiving emails from NYCHA residents and shares them with her team. She also noted her constant contact with HUD Secretary Fudge, especially when NYCHA issues are reported in the news media.
  • New York City Department for the Aging Senior Director, Agnes Mak, provided an overview of her meeting with NYCHA’s safety and security team. She is also working with the city on the Big Apple Connect project to bring broadband service to NYCHA developments.
  • Michael Thompson from the New York City Fire Department reported on the increase of requests for new key fobs and the NYFD’s continuous collaboration with NYCHA regarding door damage by the NYFD. He requested a supply of NYCHA’s new doors for the NYFD to use in their trainings and avoid damaging the doors during an urgent entrance. Mr. Thompson also reported on the numerous fires throughout the city caused by the improper charging of e-bikes and storage in apartments.
  • New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés expressed her concerns regarding the safety issues with e-bikes. She suggested starting a pilot program in one or two spaces for charging stations outside NYCHA developments to avoid the bikes from going inside the buildings. Council Member Aviles also provided updates on a couple of hearings including the oversight hearing on water testing at Riis Houses; the oversight hearing on contracting at NYCHA and the challenges around contractor accountability; and the upcoming hearing on resident engagement as it relates to repairs and NYCHA operations, elections, and tenant associations.
  • New York City Housing Authority Resident Engagement Manager, Samantha Rogers, announced that NYCHA is getting ready for the annual resident survey and suggested to include security questions. She also reported on the several family days held throughout the summer and more are planned until the end of December. Elections have been held since the beginning of January and more will round out the year end with nomination meetings beginning in mid-November.
  • CAC Committee Member/Bronx Resident Representative, Robert Hall, suggested for NYCHA to provide education on how to use the capital projects tracker.
  • Deputy Monitor, Dan Brownell suggested creating standard safety plan templates for developments with CAC members providing recommendations to include in the plan.

The next CAC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at 6:00 PM EST.