Voters at Hylan Houses, part of the New York City Housing Authority in Bushwick, remain divided over which funding model to choose for their complex, and a runoff vote may be necessary to determine the outcome.
The 19-story building is the fifth NYCHA campus where tenants have been asked to decide whether to stay in the federal Section 9 public housing program or switch to PACT or the Preservation Trust to fund repairs, City Limits reported on Dec. 20.
Hylan Houses, home to 410 tenants, requires roughly $90 million in repairs over the next two decades.
PACT and the Trust both convert apartments to Project-Based Section 8, a federal program offering more funding than Section 9, including access to revenue streams like bond issuance, the news site said.
After three weeks of voting and 175 submitted ballots, a second tally held on Friday showed the results tied between PACT and the Trust, with each receiving 83 votes. A final recount will take place on Jan. 8, and if the tie stands, a 30-day runoff vote will follow, with only PACT and the Trust on the ballot.
NYCHA has an estimated $78.3 billion in repair needs over the next 20 years, with Section 9 underfunded by Congress for decades. NYCHA warned that sticking with Section 9 would severely limit the ability to address campus-wide repairs. However, some tenants and leaders have criticized the move to private management under PACT and the Trust, citing concerns over increased evictions in PACT campuses, according to a recent comptroller audit.
In the most recent vote, 47.4% of ballots went to each PACT and the Trust, while 5%, or nine ballots, opted to remain in Section 9. Jared Soto, tenant association member, expressed concern that a runoff election could lower voter turnout, as it follows months of voting. At least 20% of "heads of households" must participate for the results to count; 62% took part in this vote.
Soto noted that the runoff could deter voters, but hoped more would return to cast their ballots. "I just hope that enough people are willing to come back, and maybe even more people are encouraged to come out to vote," he said.
The Trust, established in 2022, leases properties to itself for public management, while PACT leases to private developers who oversee operations and repairs. Since 2017, over 37,000 NYCHA units have either converted or are in the process of converting to PACT, though none have done so via a tenant vote.
NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt said in a statement that the tie highlights a strong desire for change among Hylan Houses residents.
