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NYCHA says source-of-income complaints go to City human-rights office and that agency does not log counts; council seeks more tracking
Summary
Council members pressed NYCHA about source-of-income discrimination and about HUD recertification data that includes immigration status. NYCHA said it refers discrimination complaints to the City Commission on Human Rights and does not maintain a log of complaints, and that recertification data — including immigration-status fields — has been part
Council members at a hearing pressed NYCHA on how it handles source-of-income discrimination complaints and on whether NYCHA transmits immigration-status information to HUD as part of routine recertifications.
On source-of-income complaints, NYCHA officials said the agency directs voucher holders to the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which handles enforcement of source-of-income protections, and that NYCHA does not maintain a central log of such complaints. “NYCHA\'s role in this is minimal,” Lakisha Miller said, adding, “We advise voucher holders of the resource with CCHR…we do partner with CCHR if there are any questions or if we need to take an action, like, to put a voucher on hold as they work through a complaint.” Council members expressed concern that NYCHA lacks a record of complaints that come to the agency anecdotally and asked NYCHA to collect more systematic data so the agency could better target outreach and enforcement.
On data shared with HUD, NYCHA said household recertifications include immigration-status questions and that the agency transmits recertification information to HUD regularly as part of required reporting. “We transmit them to HUD…we\'re always going back and I I just wanna be clear. We\'re not, like, giving them, like, a separate file. Here are all the folks who are undocumented,” an NYCHA official told the committee, but also acknowledged advocates\' concerns about how that information may be used.
Tenant advocates at the hearing urged NYCHA and city agencies to do more to help voucher holders file source-of-income complaints and to make public the citywide plan for households currently on EHV in other PHA programs. Advocacy groups recommended practical steps — for example, distributing a short "know your rights" guide with recertification notices and publishing paper recertification forms and packets on NYCHA\'s website so residents and legal-service providers can complete paperwork without waiting on CCC assistance.
