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Q&A
Resident engagement in the PACT negotiation process
2:54:06
ยท
4 min
Council Member Chris Banks questions NYCHA officials about resident engagement in the PACT negotiation process. The discussion reveals the iterative nature of the process and the various ways NYCHA claims to involve residents in decision-making.
- NYCHA officials describe a multi-step process for resident engagement, including inspections, public meetings, and ongoing consultations
- The process involves creating community plans based on resident input and technical inspections
- Officials emphasize that draft plans are developed with input from residents and tenant leaders over months or years
- NYCHA claims to negotiate with partner teams to balance project affordability with addressing residents' needs
- Banks expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of the engagement process, suggesting it may be more challenging than presented
Chris Banks
2:54:06
would residents know what's a specific violation if you refuse to release the documents to the public?
2:54:15
Because NYCHA I know NYCHA provides oversight.
2:54:19
Yeah.
2:54:19
But when there is a breach Sure.
2:54:22
And where's the resident engagement?
2:54:27
Where's the resident empowered then to be a part of this process or to give input?
2:54:34
That's what's missing because
Simon Kawitzky
2:54:35
it Yeah.
2:54:36
So so are are you referring to after the conversion has taken place or during the whole process
Chris Banks
2:54:42
at During the negotiation process.
Simon Kawitzky
2:54:43
Oh, okay.
2:54:44
During the negotiation process.
2:54:45
So, you know, as I mentioned, we do a whole lot of work to just make sure that residents are informed about the program, how it works, what their rights and protections are.
2:54:56
Once the partner team comes on board and they start conducting inspections across the community to really determine what are the conditions that need to be addressed as part of this project, They reflect that information back, and we want to hear from residents about their experience.
2:55:14
So that involves walking apartments with residents, understanding in a really detailed way where does it leak in your home when there's a rainstorm, what are some of the really challenging issues that you struggle with in your apartment, matching that up with the information that's gleaned from the technical inspections, using that information to come up with a draft plan.
2:55:34
That plan is communicated with residents at public meetings.
2:55:40
It's put on the website.
2:55:42
There are a whole host of different activities that take place where we want to hear from residents about, is this the plan that's going to ensure success for your community?
2:55:50
And residents have opportunities to tell us, yes, this needs prioritized, or I don't see you talking about how to handle cleaning of our property in a positive way.
2:56:03
So that needs to be something that's put forward.
2:56:06
And those are the kinds of conversations that we have.
2:56:09
Ultimately, that information, that plan is codified in a community plan document which is shared with every resident at the development.
2:56:18
And that describes in a lot of detail what kinds of infrastructure upgrades are going to be made, what the apartments are going to look like.
2:56:25
And again, that is based on the model units that are designed with residents.
2:56:31
And also the types of security, public safety, social service, property management strategies that are going to be implemented.
2:56:37
So that is really in terms of what residents can use to make sure that the things they were promised are being provided.
2:56:47
We did that for that specific reason.
2:56:49
So people know what they're going to get.
2:56:51
And if they're not getting it, that they should let us know often.
2:56:55
Complaints, concerns filter up through the resident leadership, and that's an important outlet.
2:57:00
But, you know, residents can communicate with us in a whole range of different ways.
2:57:04
We have a hotline, we have office hours, and those kinds of means.
Chris Banks
2:57:07
So, going back to my point, the after the negotiations are done, then the residents weigh in.
2:57:15
So, this plan is negotiated and then it's presented to the tenants?
Simon Kawitzky
2:57:20
Oh, no.
2:57:20
It's very iterative.
2:57:22
So, you know, when I mentioned that the PAC partner team would come to the table with a draft plan, that's already been developed with input from residents because they've had meetings.
2:57:34
We consult regularly with the tenant leaders.
2:57:36
They're talking with us about what we think should be prioritized or what's needed.
2:57:42
So that draft is based on months, or in some cases years, of engagement and conversations.
2:57:49
And then during that process, when residents are saying, more needs to be done here, we don't care as much about that, we're constantly behind the scenes with the partner team trying to negotiate what can the project afford, what is going to be too costly, and where can we compromise to make sure that this project is financially sustainable but also addresses residents' needs.
Chris Banks
2:58:12
Yeah.
2:58:12
It sounds like it's set easy and then it's done.
2:58:17
Very challenging.
2:58:18
And then it was challenging.