NYCHA’s Unarmed Security Program Cut: Impact on Senior Housing Residents and Safety

Every day, unarmed security guards work eight-hour shifts at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) flagship buildings. But this service will disappear on June 30, a measure that, according to authorities, will save $7 million.

Adi Talwar

March 19, 2024: NYCHA’s Bronx River Addition building reception, located at 1350-1352 Manor Avenue, in the Bronx.

This article was originally published in English on May 2. Translated by Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

One of the key features of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) high-rises is that they have additional safety measures.

While most NYCHA buildings are equipped with security cameras, exterior lighting or both, all 55 of its major buildings—a subset of the housing authority’s 2,411 buildings—have an unarmed security guard. duty eight hours a day.

But this service, which costs $7 million a year and provides greater peace of mind for NYCHA residents over 62, will end June 30 as part of a broader cost-cutting effort, it has been confirmed.

The authority says there is a shortage $35 million dollars in their operating budget for 2024.

NYCHA has identified dwindling rent collections as a major cause of its budget woes, with approximately 70,000 households owing $482 million in back rent as of February 29. Rental payments make up a third of their operating budget, and in the year to March rental collections were no more than 69 percent.

In a letter sent to NYCHA On April 25, Brooklyn Councilman Chris Banks, chairman of the Public Housing Committee, expressed his “great” disappointment at the proposed cut to a service he said should be a priority.

“Our seniors represent one of the most vulnerable stakeholders in this city,” Banks wrote. “While I understand NYCHA’s difficult budget situation, their budgets should not be balanced on the backs of so many people who have already given so much, and are now raising fears about what these cuts could mean for them.”

The mayor’s office held an oversight hearing in December specifically focused on it Senior Issues and NYCHA Safetyin which tenants testified about problems such as broken locks and security cameras.

Anna Almanzar, inquilina of Bronx River Addition Houses, in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx, told City Limits last month that his building recently got a new security guard. It was a relief, as she had seen people sleeping in the corridor and on stairs, apparently without permission.

The thought of losing that guard so soon is a cause for concern. “What do you mean they’re going to cut them? ” he told City Limits last week, after a journalist told him about the proposed cut. “So what are we going to do now?”

Residents of the Bronx River Addition recently voted to join the Public Housing Preservation Trust, a new public entity that can issue bonds to finance repairs. But NYCHA continues to provide financial support for the building pending an official move, a spokesperson confirmed.

NYCHA did not provide a written statement to City Limits, but said via email that most of the affected buildings have security cameras, and that they will continue to coordinate with the NYPD to respond to crime and safety concerns.

Additional reporting by Daniel Parra.

To contact the reporter of this story, write to Tatiana@citylimits.org. To contact the editor, write to Emma@citylimits.org