WE ACT in Albany: Healthy Homes for NYCHA

WE ACT staff and members before their trip to Albany to advocate on behalf of NYCHA residents.

As part of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Land and Healthy Homes Coalition, WE ACT for Environmental Justice staff and six members of our Healthy Homes Working Group traveled to Albany on March 11, 2019 to advocate for the following from New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature:

• Long-term commitments to NYCHA as part of a multi-year capital plan that will begin to address the estimated $32 billion needed to improve the infrastructure of NYCHA developments and address factors that contribute to health issues such as mold, pests, and unreliable water boilers for heat;
• The release of $450 million earmarked to the housing authority in previous years;
• And the creation of legally binding structures that ensure resident oversight and the transparent use of funding by enabling NYCHA residents to have an active role in deciding where the money goes before funds are released.

WE ACT member and NYCHA Dyckman Houses resident John E. Thompson meeting with New York State elected officials.

A total of 43 NYCHA residents from 11 different developments were in Albany as part of this coordinated advocacy effort. The coalition — which includes Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE), Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), and the St. Nicholas Alliance — scheduled and met with the following offices:

• New York State Assemblymember Carmen de la Rosa
• New York State Assemblymember Al Taylor
• New York State Assemblymember Robert J. Rodriguez
• New York State Assemblymember Daniel J. O’Donnell
• New York State Senator Robert Jackson
• New York State Senator Brian A. Benjamin
• New York State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou
• New York State Assemblymember Joseph R. Lentol
• New York State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon
• New York State Senator Julia Salazar
• New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Office

And two WE ACT members from Dyckman Houses, Christina Burgess and John E. Thompson, spoke on behalf of WE ACT and the Healthy Homes Working Group at the coalition’s press conference. (Watch the Video)

WE ACT’s Bilingual Community Organizer and Outreach Coordinator Génesis Abreu and Environmental Health Programs Manager Milagros de Hoz have been following up with the elected officials and will debrief the Healthy Homes Working Group at the next meeting.

The NYCHA Land and Healthy Homes Coalition on the steps of the New York State Capitol building in Albany after a day of Advocacy.