Council hearing spotlights long NYCHA vacancy waits and slow transfers; bill would require public reporting

The New York City Council Committee on Public Housing held an oversight hearing on vacancies and transfers at the New York City Housing Authority and discussed Intro 111, legislation that would require NYCHA to report publicly on units vacant for more than 30 continuous days.

Committee Chair Council Member Chris Banks opened the hearing by stressing the stakes. "Public housing is a gem of this country for nearly a hundred years," he said, and added that the committee was focused on how to get people into safe, decent public housing more quickly.

The hearing focused on three linked problems: the number of vacant NYCHA apartments, the time it takes to turn a vacant unit into a leasable apartment, and lengthy waits for tenant transfer requests. NYCHA Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble told the committee that, as of June 1, NYCHA classified 5,969 units as "vacant available," 1,712 as "temporarily off the rent roll," and 1,797 as "permanently off the rent roll," with just over 809 units already matched to prospective tenants. Trimble attributed much of the delay to expanded environmental remediation at turnover, saying that lead and asbestos testing and abatement add time: "lead and asbestos testing and abatement take typically 4 to 6 months."

Trimble gave additional figures for the committee record: NYCHA has cleared lead-based paint in more than 16,000 apartments since December 2021 and has abated asbestos floor tiles in more than 7,500 apartments; the authority is currently clearing lead in about 325 apartments per month and abating 160–200 asbestos cases per month. She estimated about $17,000 to complete lead testing and abatement in a unit and about $25,000 for asbestos testing and…