Q&A
Council Member Mealy questions NYCHA on tenant interventions and funding allocation
1:20:08
·
3 min
Council Member Darlene Mealy questions NYCHA officials about their interventions in tenant eviction cases and the allocation of funding for resident employment programs. The discussion covers NYCHA's role in mediating conflicts between tenants and new landlords in PACT developments, as well as the agency's plans for utilizing upcoming funding for job creation.
- NYCHA officials explain their process for interim recertifications, which have helped prevent evictions in PACT sites.
- Discussion of the expected $35 million in funding and how it will be allocated, with emphasis on MWA (Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise) and Section 3 job opportunities for tenants.
- Concerns raised about the relatively small amount of funding ($1 million) designated for a city with many NYCHA tenants.
Darlene Mealy
1:20:08
Oh, god.
1:20:08
I have just two follow-up questions.
1:20:13
You said the tenants could file a grievance for Nietzsche's rent.
1:20:18
Right?
1:20:19
Could you give me one explanation how Nietzsche intervened?
1:20:27
And was there any cases that the tenant you saved the tenant for being evicted?
1:20:42
Because in here, do you say that you could be like the mediator?
1:20:48
Do you have any cases that the new tenant, the new landlord from PAC, was about to evict someone and a nitrile tenant called you, and you were able to convene and saw a medium and let them handled their rent arrears problem.
1:21:14
Did you give them a a resource?
1:21:16
Because sometimes they can waver their arrears.
1:21:19
Right?
1:21:20
I know the last hearing They said some developers will pay their rent rears and let it go.
1:21:29
Right?
Gillian Connell
1:21:31
So if I'm understanding the question correctly, you're asking the way that night shift might have intervened in it and helped the
Darlene Mealy
1:21:37
tenant.
1:21:38
Right.
Gillian Connell
1:21:39
Yes.
1:21:39
So
Darlene Mealy
1:21:40
do I have a case
Aixa Torres
1:21:41
in there?
Gillian Connell
1:21:41
Yeah.
1:21:41
So I don't I don't have a specific case, but as I had mentioned, there were over 5000 interim recertifications that were filed just this year by residents at packed sites, and any of those could have been at any part of the eviction process and could have prevented
Darlene Mealy
1:21:56
unemployment from being good.
1:21:57
Thank you.
1:21:58
So I'm going back to the $1,000,000.
1:22:02
How many of those positions will be MWA's?
1:22:07
Do you have a percentage for that $1,000,000 where it's going?
Annika Lescott-Martinez
1:22:12
We haven't started the program yet.
1:22:15
We have not received any of the funding yet, so we are still standing up.
Darlene Mealy
1:22:18
When do you expect the funding?
1:22:20
A 150,000,000.
1:22:21
I would And
Annika Lescott-Martinez
1:22:22
I would love for that funding.
Darlene Mealy
1:22:24
35,000,000.
1:22:25
Yes,
Annika Lescott-Martinez
1:22:26
ma'am.
1:22:26
We would love for that funding to start flowing as soon as possible, but it's it's not necessarily up to us.
1:22:32
We do have to work through grant agreements.
1:22:34
With the various partners.
Darlene Mealy
1:22:36
Okay.
1:22:36
So since we don't have it, but you will start preparing to make sure that MWA's section 3 jobs for the tenants will be in this $1,000,000.
Annika Lescott-Martinez
1:22:48
We will follow.
Darlene Mealy
1:22:48
And that is so small to this big city in which so many nature tenants live in, and they only get 1,000,000.
Annika Lescott-Martinez
1:22:57
We will follow.
Darlene Mealy
1:22:57
Not even that, really.
1:23:00
So please, let's try to carve out some funding for MWA's and the section 3 jobs.
Annika Lescott-Martinez
1:23:09
We will follow all of the required section 3 rules regarding those contracts when they're awarded.
Darlene Mealy
1:23:15
Thank you.
