The New York City Council on Friday reinstated security guards at 55 New York City Housing Authority senior buildings across the city after reversing a $6.8 million budget cut to security services.
NYCHA terminated the service of unarmed guards due to a $35 million shortage in its operating budget last spring, according to a press release.
The mayor’s Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget allocated $1.5 million which would have terminated security services from from most developments in June 2024.
“The NYCHA unarmed security guard program is invaluable to residents’ well-being and safety," said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. "The Council was proud to fight alongside our seniors to secure a full funding restoration of the mayor’s cuts to this critical program, because our seniors remain a top priority for us."
The council reinstated the service after complaints from residents who said they feared for their safety. It also secured an additional $700 million funding for NYCHA in the FY25 budget and allocated over $3.4 million in its discretionary capital and expense funding to support programming and infrastructure improvements for public housing developments across the city.
Council Members Justin Brannan, Chris Banks and Crystal Hudson, New York City Housing Authority tenant leaders and 32BJ union members welcomed the restoration of security services.
Brannan said the funding cuts "made zero sense." He welcomed the restoration, saying it demonstrated the Council's commitment to the safety of senior citizens across the five boroughs. Hudson said the "reckless funding cuts" endangered the lives of the city's vulnerable residents.
“The safety and security of these residents do not simply equate to a bottom-line number on someone’s balance sheet," Banks said. "The restoration of this funding and the preservation of the jobs of the unarmed security officers who help keep seniors in these developments safe is a priority, and the protection of our seniors and the livelihood of the workers who keep them safe will always come first."
