NEW YORK – The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) today announced that, as of December 7, voting has concluded for residents of Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and votes have begun to be tallied by the third-party election administrator. The first development to hold a vote of this kind, Nostrand Houses residents have had a previously unprecedented opportunity to cast their ballots toward the future of their homes by choosing between financing models to fund much-needed repairs and renovations. Residents were able to make a choice between three ballot options: joining the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust or the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, or remaining Section 9.
The election administrator’s count of resident votes has begun and the vote is confirmed to have achieved the minimum threshold of 20 percent of all heads of household required to be considered valid and binding with 53 percent of all Nostrand Houses heads of household counted thus far. With Nostrand being home to 1,591 eligible voters, the preliminary turnout yielded a total of 777 valid resident votes, including 561 heads of household. By the election administrator’s count, there are currently 453 votes to join the Public Housing Preservation Trust, 163 to enter the PACT program, and 161 to remain Section 9. Additional mail-in ballots postmarked by December 7 will be counted on Thursday, December 14, with final results expected to be certified by Friday, December 15.
“It’s a proud day for NYCHA, having concluded our first-ever resident vote,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We are so hopeful that the choice Nostrand residents have made will afford us the opportunity to extensively renovate the campus and address significant infrastructural needs. However, regardless of the result, NYCHA will remain committed to serving these and all residents to the absolute best of our ability, and today’s historic achievement cannot be overstated. Congratulations to the residents of Nostrand Houses.”
With 2,173 residents in approximately 1,150 apartments across 16 buildings, it is estimated that Nostrand has more than $600 million in 20-year capital needs and ranks in the 80th percentile of NYCHA buildings for immediate physical needs. Portfolio-wide, a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) released by NYCHA this summer estimates the Authority’s total capital needs to be at $78.3 billion following decades of federal disinvestment.
A fully public entity, the Public Housing Preservation Trust is expected to unlock billions of dollars in federal funding for much-needed, comprehensive renovations at NYCHA developments to improve living conditions for residents. The Trust was established by Mayor Adams and NYCHA in May 2023 and authorized by a law signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul last year following extensive advocacy from NYCHA.
The PACT program transitions developments from traditional public housing assistance to the more stable, federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program — unlocking funding for designated PACT partners to complete comprehensive repairs. Overall, 138 NYCHA developments (representing over 37,000 apartments) are in pre-development, are under construction, or have completed construction through the program. The Authority is on track to include 62,000 apartments in the PACT program in order to bring the benefits of comprehensive apartment repairs and building upgrades, as well as enhanced property management and social services, to more than 142,000 residents.
Prior to the vote, a 100-day public engagement period was conducted at Nostrand to provide residents with the opportunity to attend meetings and interact with NYCHA’s voter engagement team, who were available on-site, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to speak with Nostrand residents and answer any questions. NYCHA’s voter engagement team conducted door-knocking and phone-banking and distributed informative materials on the Nostrand campus – they connected with interested residents one-on-one and explained the ballot options, including the Trust and PACT. Residents were able to cast their votes online or by mail for 30 days, with the final ten days also allowing for in-person voting.
In the coming days, additional mail-in votes may arrive and will be counted toward the final result if postmarked no later than the final day of voting, December 7, 2023. Once all votes have been tallied, Nostrand Houses residents’ definitive selection will be announced by Friday, December 15.
