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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Lisa Hall, Resident of Boston Secor Houses, on RAD/PACT Program Issues
5:36:53
ยท
175 sec
Lisa Hall, a resident of Boston Secor Houses in the Bronx, testifies about serious issues with the RAD/PACT program implementation at her development. She highlights discrepancies between the program's marketing and actual results, focusing on problems with the transition process, lease complexities, and unexplained rent arrears.
- Hall reports that NYCHA did not properly complete the transition from public to private management, leaving tenants in a confusing "hybrid status"
- She claims that HUD determined their development's application was not submitted until September 2024, making the October 2024 conversion start date "unrealistic" and potentially illegal
- Hall describes receiving a rent statement showing $15,000 in arrears, which she says is over 5,000% of her income instead of the expected 30%
- She calls for an immediate suspension of the RAD/PACT program and requests clarification on different versions of Section 8
Lisa Hall
5:36:53
Thank you.
5:36:54
My name is Lisa Hall.
5:36:56
I reside in the Boston C Corp houses located in the Bronx, New York.
5:36:59
And I would like to discuss the operations of the RAD PAC program and how it has evolved from its stated intentions.
5:37:06
There are plenty of feel good marketing campaigns promoting the RAD PAC program, but the actual results do not meet the expectations or promises made.
5:37:16
And what I'm referring to is, when Wavecrest management and the PAC program came to the Boston Seaport houses during the summer cutover period, NYCHA did not complete its transition from public to private management, including the transfer and validation of the rent roll, tenant records, and invalid rent payment systems that left the tenants between being a public and private hybrid status.
5:37:42
At the same time, HUD in Washington DC, their special application center and I was talking to someone between Chicago and Washington DC.
5:37:52
They determined that our development application was not submitted until September of twenty twenty four, making October of twenty twenty four an unrealistic target date to start the conversion as confirmed by NYCHA.
5:38:06
So they were already going forward with an illegality.
5:38:10
So the RAD PAC program is marketed as a renovation and upgrade to the apartments.
5:38:16
However, the program is really a real estate arrangement.
5:38:20
The release is a problem also because a 50 page document with addendums and writers can be overwhelming and difficult to understand, especially for tenants who may not have legal or real estate experience, and they're also discouraged from reading the lease before they sign it.
5:38:38
It can lead to confusion and cause tenants to miss important clauses, leading to unexplained arrears like I have and the process of eviction, which already got started with me.
Simone Hall
5:38:49
Just $10,000.
Lisa Hall
5:38:50
So the tenants who signed a section eight lease have arrears on their rent statement and
UNKNOWN
5:38:56
Your time has expired.
Lisa Hall
5:38:57
Who have not
UNKNOWN
5:38:58
Thank you.
Lisa Hall
5:38:58
I need more time.
5:39:00
The tenants who have not signed the section eight lease also have arrears on their rent statement.
Chris Banks
5:39:05
Miss Zollia, time has expired.
5:39:07
You have thirty seconds to wrap it up.
Lisa Hall
5:39:09
Thank you.
5:39:10
My rent statement is $15,000 this month, and that's a 5,000 4 hundred and fifteen percent of my income, not 30%.
5:39:19
So I move to ask the city council and anyone involved in the law to create a suspension immediately for the RAT and PAC RAT and PAC program and to also provide insight clarification on the differences between the versions of section eight.
5:39:36
And I thank you for navigating through the people that took the oath on the panel with the exception of Brian Honan because they were under oath and they did not adhere to that testimony.
5:39:47
Thank you.