QUESTION
How is the vacancy rate survey conducted by NYC's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)?
0:28:59
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3 min
The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) utilizes a detailed survey methodology to gauge housing vacancy rates, ensuring a representative sample across various housing types.
- A statistical sample of units from NYC's entire residential address list serves as the foundation for the survey.
- The census team, composed of several hundred individuals, conducts interviews with occupants or, in unoccupied units, with owners or managing agents.
- The survey includes both primary interviews and additional data sources such as HCR's registration data and tax records.
- Data are weighted based on the inverse probability of selection to ensure representativeness.
- The methodology conforms to best practices for reliable and accurate survey execution.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
0:28:59
As first deputy mentioned, it is a precondition that that this council finds that the vacancy rate is less than 5%.
0:29:06
So just going to ask several questions about the survey itself survey methodology.
0:29:12
Can you tell us about the collaboration between the Census Bureau and the agency?
0:29:18
How is the data collected?
0:29:20
How is representative sample across housing types insured?
Elyzabeth Gaumer
0:29:27
Sure.
0:29:28
I covered some of that in my testimony today, but I'm happy to to go through that.
0:29:31
It's an incredibly important part of what this survey does.
0:29:35
It's incredibly important that we provide the most accurate and reliable information, so I'm always happy to answer questions about our approach and our method.
0:29:44
The NYCHVS follows best practices in representative surveys.
0:29:49
We start by drawing a a sample, statistical sample of units from the entire residential address list in New York City.
0:29:59
So as our frame, That's a first incredibly important step here to make sure that we're not only selecting and interviewing a certain type of unit or a subset of units, that are easier and more convenient to interview.
0:30:13
Right?
0:30:13
It's important that every single housing unit has a chance of being sampled.
0:30:18
And then our census team, which is comprises several hundred people, works those cases.
0:30:25
They recruit households.
0:30:28
If it's an occupied unit, they seek to interview the most knowledgeable person who lives there collecting a whole range of information.
0:30:36
About their unit.
0:30:37
They're building themselves and anyone else who lives with them.
0:30:42
If our census team finds that the unit not occupied, then they complete a separate interview that asks questions that are specific for for what we are looking to understand there.
0:30:54
And that can be completed either with an owner or managing agents, sometimes a combination of people, in order to get the most accurate and complete information.
0:31:03
Those interviews really are, as I testified today, the heart of our survey.
0:31:07
We feel it is incredibly important to speak to New Yorkers about what is happening in New York City.
0:31:12
But that said, we also then leverage additional information that we match to our sample.
0:31:18
The Census Bureau has been great partners in helping us to do that.
0:31:22
So we include all kinds of other secondary inflammation, including all of HCR's registration data.
0:31:29
Not just as of the moment, but in fact, going back at least a couple of decades.
0:31:33
We matched to other information with tax records, HPD production, We've recently partnered with the OCA to be able to match eviction records.
0:31:44
So this gives us additional rich information that's just not feasible to collect in an interview setting.
0:31:50
But again, all of that is matched to this representative sample.
0:31:54
That make sure that we have coverage of all of those types.
0:31:57
And of course, then our data are weighted to account for who we actually were able to reach based on the inverse probability of selection and follows again all of those best practices for appropriate survey methodology.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
0:32:13
Thank you so much.
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What does the 1.4 percent vacancy rate signify for New York City's housing crisis, and how does its composition affect the situation?
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How is the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development addressing affordability for earners below $25,000? What is the status of Section 8 voucher expansion?