NEW YORK—The birthplace of Al Pacino, Patsy’s Pizzeria, and Thomas Jefferson Park, East Harlem—otherwise known as “El Barrio”—was once one of the largest Italian enclaves in the country. Today, the neighborhood is predominantly composed of Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Dominican immigrants. While the demographics of the community have changed, its historic working class-character remains.
Recently, however, a new and very different type of neighbor has been knocking at the door. On June 17, proponents of PACT-RAD (Permanent Affordability Commitment Together—Rental Assistance Demonstration), a revised version of the now defunct federal program known as HOPE VI, visited the area.
Introduced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2012, the PACT-RAD program aims to convert Section 9 properties into project-based Section 8 properties. While both are heavily subsidized forms of housing, the former is owned and managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) while the latter is owned and managed by private developers.
PACT-RAD advocates argue that NYCHA’s ballooning capital repair backlog necessitates a market-oriented solution. One of these advocates is Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In his recent Block-By-Block housing initiative, the program is heavily featured and promoted.
On May 8, the mayor and NYCHA announced that a first-of-its-kind “NYCHA in Your Neighborhood” forum would take place in every borough over the course of May and June. In outlining its purpose, Mamdani asserted, “As we work to deliver the investments and improvements residents deserve, NYCHA in Your Neighborhood will help put public housing residents at the center of policymaking. These forums will give residents a new opportunity to weigh in on the issues that matter most to them and access services from a range of City agencies.”
For many tenants of the Fulton-Elliott-Chelsea (FEC) Houses, though, Mamdani’s statement was nothing short of political satire.
The struggle for FEC
In 2023, NYCHA, in conjunction with Related Companies and Essence Development, revealed a plan to demolish and replace all of FEC with mixed-income, luxury high-rises, consisting solely of market-rate and project-based Section 8 units. Since the beginning of the effort to privatize FEC in 2019, tenants have organized against PACT-RAD and the demolition through rallies, protests, and at city council hearings.
Unfortunately, NYCHA and its real estate partners never abandoned the proposal. Following Mamdani’s election victory, FEC tenants remained hopeful that the new administration would finally halt the proposed demolition indefinitely.
On Feb. 2, tenants wrote a letter to the mayor in an attempt to persuade him on the issue. They pointed to the fact that NYCHA’s justification for demolition was based on two key falsehoods: 1) the buildings are structurally unstable; and 2) the cost of rehabilitation is more than the cost of demolition.
As Jamar Adams, founder of Essence Development, and Jonathan Gouveia, (now former) EVP of NYCHA Real Estate, admitted in a letter to Community Board 4, FEC is structurally sound. Moreover, rehabilitating and repairing the FEC’s Section 9 units is estimated to cost $1.9 billion, while demolition is estimated to cost $2.4 billion.
Mamdani and NYCHA officials have yet to respond to the letter, even when it has been brought to their attention. As a result, tenant distrust in the Mamdani administration increased as the initial glimmer of hope faded away. When advertisements for the “NYCHA in Your Neighborhood” event began to appear, however, FEC tenants were ready to make their voices heard once again.
On June 17, several FEC tenants, as well as allies from the coalition, trekked from Chelsea to East Harlem. The event was located inside the gymnasium of the Ethel Battle Velez Community Center on 1833 Lexington Ave., the only date and location targeted at Manhattan NYCHA tenants.
Tenants take action
As lines began to form outside the community center, activists and tenants from other NYCHA units and advocacy organizations, including Save Section 9, held protests against the mayor’s support for the PACT-RAD program.
Upon setting foot on the premises, two elderly, non-English-speaking FEC tenants were almost barred from entering the gymnasium. NYCHA staff informed the tenants that they would be unable to enter since they had not registered online. With limited internet access, as well as little outreach from NYCHA and the administration, it was completely unreasonable for NYCHA staff to force senior public housing tenants to register online in advance.
Through the assistance of Save Section 9 and the coalition, these seniors were finally allowed to enter. It should be noted that as of January 2025, 25.5% of NYCHA tenants are 62 or older. Mandatory online registration for poorly advertised and geographically isolated events is not tenable for a significant portion of NYCHA’s population.
Inside the gymnasium, discussion and NYCHA/City resource tables were scattered across the floor. The PACT-RAD program was heavily promoted at the PACT/Modernization table and in the discussion session on “How NYCHA Senior Leadership can best support NYCHA tenants with RAD/PACT/Trust (Modernization).”
Within a matter of minutes, tenants and activists encountered a whole cast of characters from the administration: NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt, NYCHA Chair Jamie Rubin, the city’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, Leila Bozorg, and Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, Cea Weaver.
The first, although not last, encounter was with Weaver, one of Mamdani’s appointees. Weaver showed support for the demolition and spouted the usual “demolition is cheaper” and “the buildings are structurally unstable” talking points. More concerningly, Weaver seemed to have an extremely limited understanding of public housing as a concept.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), public housing consists of properties that are owned and managed by a public housing authority and supported through the federal Section 9 program, with a distinct legal framework and tenant protections.
Project-based Section 8 properties do not constitute public housing under HUD’s definition, since day-to-day operations are carried out by private, for-profit companies or non-profits. For some reason, Weaver does not abide by the widely accepted definition of public housing, instead arguing that project-based Section 8 properties constitute a form of public housing.
When an FEC tenant leader pointed out the problem with Weaver’s bizarre claim, a brief debate ensued before Weaver concluded the discussion with a “let’s agree to disagree.”
Next, an encounter with the Eric Adams appointee Jamie Rubin unfolded. A week before the event, Diana Ayala, the Deputy Speaker of the NYC Council, reported that a “Lease Signing Raffle” flyer was circulating around East Harlem. Sponsored by Twin Pines Management, Apex Building Group, and HOPE Community Inc., the flyer offered public housing tenants a chance to win a 75’’ TV, as well as other prizes (including a $300 Keurig!), if they signed a PACT lease by June 22, converting their home from a Section 9 unit to a project-based Section 8 property.
This incredibly malicious flyer is only one of many callous developer tactics that have been deployed across the city. When questioned and shown a copy of the flyer, Rubin decided to stay completely silent. He continued to avoid discussing the issue until a group of activists and tenants surrounded him. Rubin proceeded to affirm his support for the demolition of FEC before walking away.
Then came the next Eric Adams appointee, Leila Bozorg. Bozorg also supported the demolition of FEC and repeatedly spoke of “NYCHA modernization,” a phrase that has become synonymous with the PACT-RAD program. As part of her line of argumentation, Bozorg correctly stated that not all tenants were against the demolition. However, as one tenant leader pointed out, Bozorg and other NYCHA officials only seem to value tenant voices when they align with developer interests. A majority of FEC tenants are opposed to the demolition, and yet Bozorg is solely interested in hearing out the tenants who support the proposal.
Finally, there was Lisa Bova-Hiatt, the CEO of NYCHA. One tenant from the senior building, the first slated for demolition, said, “The tenants came because NYCHA continues to make decisions about our homes while refusing to listen to the people who live here…. Residents have rejected demolition again and again. NYCHA must stop treating tenant opposition as an inconvenience to be managed.”
After listening for a few minutes, Bova-Hiatt nodded and said, “I hear you. I understand you.”
As expected, the CEO refused to take a stand. In her defense, the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) placed on FEC has limited her ability to express her overt pro-demolition stance.
At this event, NYCHA and Mamdani administration officials made their stance clear. If the mayor wanted to truly listen to tenants, as he claimed in his statement of purpose, he should not have required seniors to chase after NYCHA executives across the city only to be entirely disregarded by them. Public housing residents, seniors and non-seniors alike, have spoken out against demolition and PACT-RAD conversions. NYCHA and City Hall must listen, engage, and respond to their concerns, prioritizing tenants over developer interests.
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