Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18, 2020

CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov | (212) 306-3322

NYCHA ANNOUNCES NEW PACT PROJECTS TO BRING COMPREHENSIVE REPAIRS FOR MORE THAN 10,000 RESIDENTS ACROSS BROOKLYN, MANHATTAN, AND THE BRONX

The request for expressions of interest asks applicants to develop partnerships with M/WBE contractors, provide job training programs for NYCHA residents, and make high-quality broadband access available, while also providing social service and community programming

NEW YORK – Today, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to attract development partners for new projects under the Authority’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program to repair and preserve more than 4,400 units in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

The official Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) issued by the Authority is the first pivotal step in unlocking the funds necessary to address critical repairs and social service needs for more than 10,000 residents living at NYCHA campuses across the three boroughs. All PACT projects will ensure that rents remain permanently affordable and residents are guaranteed comparable rights as they possess in traditional public housing. Since the program's inception in 2016, NYCHA has successfully generated over $1 billion in capital repair work across the city, modernizing nearly 7,800 homes through PACT.

Residents in developments participating in the PACT program will see their buildings, common spaces, and apartments modernized through extensive renovations. Repairs to individual apartments will include comprehensive work on kitchens, bathrooms, windows, and living spaces. Chronic heat and gas outages will be addressed and renovations of interiors and common spaces, as well as elevator repairs, will be completed. Additionally, there will be improvements to building security including entry systems and additional security cameras. Partnerships with social service providers improve on-site services and programming through input from residents.

Pre-qualified Partners designated through the January 2020 PACT Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process will be invited to submit proposals in response to the following projects:

• Edenwald (2,039 units in the Bronx)
• Samuel City (664 units in Manhattan)
• Reid Apartments and Park Rock Consolidated (1,698 units in Brooklyn)

This latest iteration is designed to not only continue the Authority’s commitment to undertaking a large-scale modernization of New York City’s aging public housing developments, but also to expand and deepen economic recovery and opportunities for NYCHA residents – through a dedicated emphasis on M/WBE partners and contractors; nonprofit organizations; Section 3 programming; social services for residents and increasing broadband access.

“The PACT program has proven transformative to the condition of our public housing and, in turn, to the lives of NYCHA residents,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “This RFEI will deliver those same improvements and advanced economic opportunities to over 4,400 more households, further cementing PACT’s role in ensuring the long-term viability of New York City’s largest and most affordable housing stock.”

“The PACT program is an essential component of the Authority’s long-term vision for delivering better services to our residents,” said NYCHA Chairman and CEO Greg Russ. “We are especially interested in building relationships with a wider roster of small-scale and large-scale developers, property managers, general contractors, and social service providers to partner with on our forthcoming conversions.”

“PACT depends on quality partnerships with private and nonprofit development organizations to comprehensively rehabilitate our buildings and improve the living conditions of NYCHA residents,” said NYCHA EVP, Real Estate Jonathan Gouveia. “This RFEI will allow us to procure a diverse mix of partners interested in helping us create safe, clean, and connected communities for the public housing residents.”

“These developments will receive critical repairs that will improve the lives of thousands of NYCHA residents, and moving forward with this plan will also aid in our city’s economic recovery,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “HDC is proud to serve as the key financing partner on NYCHA’s visionary PACT plan as we work together with our partners to preserve this housing, while also bringing a greater focus to M/WBE and non-profit organizations.”

“Investing in affordable housing is critical to the stability, lives, and safety of residents in our community, and I commend all who worked diligently on today’s RFEI to ensure preservation of tenant rights and accountability with RFEI applicants and NYCHA,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “NYCHA is a critical and valuable resource to New Yorkers serving hundreds of thousands of residents in public housing throughout each of the City’s boroughs. By engaging with NYCHA residents and with their approval and consent, I hope this process will provide residents with safe and affordable housing as well as the opportunities to build a stronger future for themselves and for their families.”

As we combat the COVID-19 pandemic as a community, is it crucial that we support and uplift our most vulnerable folks, including residents of public housing,” said Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-11). “For too long our community has been decimated by crumbling infrastructure. The pervasive presence of toxins in our public housing and neglected infrastructure has disproportionately wreaked havoc on people of color who largely populate the system. The implementation of [PACT] will bring much needed relief to NYCHA residents in Brooklyn and across our city. I am proud to support efforts that will improve the quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers and look forward to strengthening this partnership to aid our community in rebuilding in the face of coronavirus.”

“I have been the resident leader of the Frederick Samuel Houses for the past 12 years, more importantly I have been a resident here for over 20 years. I have seen the deteriorations of Frederick Samuel Houses, a place I and 1,300 others call home,” said Frederick Samuel TA President Ms. Diana Blackwell. “As one of the original residents that sat on the RAD Roundtable I am assured that there will be continuous resident involvement and I believe that the work of RAD/PACT can bring again dignity, pride and the quality of life that is deserving of each resident while living in our local communities.”

Launched in 2016, PACT is a key tool working in tandem with the Blueprint for Change to help inject much-needed money into the public housing infrastructure citywide while safeguarding long-standing tenant rights and protections. PACT allows NYCHA to completely renovate developments using HUD Section 8 conversion programs, including the Rental Assistance Demonstration program (RAD), Tenant Protection Voucher (TPV) funding, and Part 200 disposition, all of which ensure long-term affordable housing. The New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the local housing finance agency, will assemble the financing, as well as provide asset management and compliance for the PACT transactions.

Altogether, funding generated by these tools allows NYCHA to address nearly $12.8 billion in capital needs over the next decade, or up to 40 percent of the Authority’s $31.8 billion overall capital need.

Pre-qualified Partners must rank the transactions by order of interest and then submit their rankings to NYCHA by December 16, 2020. By December 21, 2020, the Pre-Qualified Partners who submitted their rankings in accordance with the provided instructions will be notified which projects they have been selected to apply for.

A list of Pre-Qualified Partners is available on NYCHA’s website.

The Pre-Qualified Partners will be provided a copy of the Request for Expression of Interest. All proposals are due by February 18, 2021. Interested Pre-Qualified Partners can attend a virtual pre-submission conference on November 24, 2020 or December 2, 2020. Detail on how to RSVP for these virtual conferences can be found within the RFEI.

This past February, NYCHA finalized a deal to bring $370 million in comprehensive renovations to more than 6,300 Brooklyn residents through the closing of the seventh Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) transaction.

In July 2019, NYCHA closed and finalized its fifth PACT deal to secure the necessary funding for repairs and renovations of 1,315 apartments at the Hope Gardens consolidation in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, benefiting more than 2,700 residents.

Through PACT, developments will be included in the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and convert to a more stable, federally funded program called Project-Based Section 8. PACT depends on partnerships with private and nonprofit development partners. Once the property is converted to Project-Based Section 8, NYCHA will lease the land and buildings to the development partners, who will conduct the repairs, serve as the new on-site property manager, and provide enhanced social services and community programs.

NYCHA will continue to own the land and buildings, administer the Section 8 subsidy and waitlist, and monitor conditions at the development. NYCHA will ensure that the partners adhere to standards outlined in the RAD Roundtable Guiding Principles created NYCHA residents and advocacy groups to preserve resident protections and guarantee permanent affordability. More information on NYCHA 2.0 initiatives can be found here and here. For more information regarding upcoming PACT meetings, residents can call NYCHA at (212) 306-4036 or email pact.partners@nycha.nyc.gov.

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About New York City Housing Authority

The New York City Housing Authority is the largest public housing authority in North America, housing nearly 400,000 residents. NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. Over 390,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 316 public housing developments and PACT developments around the five boroughs. Over 190,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA- administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.

About the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) The New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) is the nation’s largest municipal Housing Finance Agency and is charged with helping to finance the creation or preservation of affordable housing under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan. Since 2003, HDC has financed more than 180,000 housing units using over $23.5 billion in bonds and other debt obligations, and provided in excess of $2.9 billion in subsidy. HDC ranks among the nation’s top issuers of mortgage revenue bonds for affordable multi-family housing on Thomson Reuter’s annual list of multi-family bond issuers. In each of the last seven consecutive years, HDC’s annual bond issuance has surpassed $1 billion. For additional information, visit: http://www.nychdc.com