Last week on Good Day New York, Regional Administrator Lynne Patton announced that NYCHA has been allocated over $167 million from HUD during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To date, NYCHA’s funding during the pandemic has been announced in three tranches: On May 8, 2020, NYCHA was awarded $7,608,646 in Tenant Protection Vouchers. On May 5, 2020, NYCHA was awarded $15,843,840 in supplemental administrative fee funding. On May 1, 2020, NYCHA received $149,860,175 in Public Housing Operating Fund money to prepare and respond to the pandemic, for a total of $173,312,661, in additional NYCHA funding from HUD expressly for COVID-19.
“This Administration has prioritized NYCHA and its residents from Day One with the appointment of an historic federal monitor to implement and enforce long-standing health and satisfy requirements. This month, Secretary Carson has, once again, demonstrated that the residents of NYCHA come first by allocating an additional $173 million specifically to help NYCHA combat the COVID-19 Pandemic,” said Lynne Patton, Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey. “The President and Secretary Carson care deeply about communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus and have tasked me with representing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council’s Minority COVID-19 response here in the epicenter of the nation to ensure free testing, access to PPE, health and safety education, workforce training and economic opportunity to those most affected by this virus.”
After President Trump signed the CARES Act into law on April 4, 2020, HUD acted immediately to allocate its first wave of funding, over $3 billion to assist communities and non-profits, help protect the homeless and Americans with compromised immune systems, and assist Tribal communities in their COVID-19 response efforts.
Regional Administrator Lynne Patton has worked with NYCHA directly in their COVID-19 response efforts, specifically helping Chairman Russ secure 500,000 masks for NYCHA operations and essential staff. Under Regional Administrator Patton’s joint leadership, NYCHA contracted with two venders, EastCo and Alliance, to clean high traffic areas in NYCHA’s 2200 buildings, 3400 lobbies, and 29,000 stories per week. On May 16th, Regional Administrator Patton joined Carmen Quinones, NYCHA Douglass Houses Tenant Association President, and volunteers from World Central Kitchen to hand out meals to impacted residents.
President Trump and Secretary Carson are committed to ensure that communities that have been disproportionately harmed by COVID-19 are put on a successful path to recovery. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump has directed the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC) to utilize its talented structure for a renewed focus on protecting our most vulnerable communities from this invisible enemy and uplifting them in the economic recovery.
Members of the Council have hosted calls with hundreds of thousands of stakeholders and continue to proactively engage with key members of these communities. For example, White House components have briefed at least 550,000 African American leaders in nearly every state through more than 50 briefing calls/video-teleconferences and events. Regional Administrator Patton has been tasked with aiding the Council in its outreach to New York and New Jersey.
For more information on HUD’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the actions the Department has taken, please visit HUD.gov/coronavirus. Public Housing Authorities across the Nation have jumped into action to help assist their tenants and their communities during this unprecedented time.
