Eviction rates at New York City Housing Authority properties managed under the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together, or PACT, program are significantly higher than those at traditional NYCHA developments, a new audit from Comptroller Brad Lander’s office found.
In Fiscal Year 2024, the eviction rate for PACT properties was 0.57%, compared to just 0.12% for traditional NYCHA developments. These rates now mirror those of private rental housing in the city, according to the audit.
“NYCHA is facing a huge backlog — nearly $80 billion in repair needs, and that’s why this PACT program is on the table, it unlocks some money for repairs,” Lander said during an interview with “Mornings On 1” on Wednesday.
The PACT program, an initiative that partners with private companies to manage and repair public housing developments, promises faster repairs while maintaining affordability. However, many residents are worried about the risks of eviction under private management.
“Residents said to us, ‘OK, but with private managers we also wanna know: What’s it look like on the other side? Will you take a look and compare eviction rates?’” Lander explained. “We have a NYCHA Resident Audit Committee — they selected this audit, and that’s why we did it.”
The audit highlighted that eviction rates varied among PACT operators. While some have been aggressive with evictions, others have not gone ahead with any.
“And NYCHA doesn’t have much oversight from the differences between development to development. That's one of the recommendations that we made. So hopefully they'll fix that,” Lander said.
The report also found that NYCHA’s lack of standard operating procedures has left critical procedures — like pre-eviction outreach and eviction filings — inconsistent across PACT developments.
“NYCHA should do better oversight of the PACT developments, so it doesn’t vary so much by development,” Lander said. “And then tenants deserve all the information, so as they’re weighing their future, they have the information they need.”
Currently, NYCHA residents can choose to remain in traditional public housing, transfer to the newly created Public Housing Preservation Trust or join the PACT program. Lander said the goal of the audit is to help residents make informed decisions about their housing options.
“If you go and see repairs being done, you think, ‘Good, I wanna get some repairs,’” Lander said. “If PACT will get me repairs, maybe that's a good idea. Now they can say, ‘OK, but I also want to make sure I’ve got a home for the long term, and I can weigh those options with all the information.’”
The audit’s recommendations include better oversight from NYCHA to standardize practices across PACT developments and ensure tenant protections are consistently applied.
In a statement, NYCHA defended the introduction of the PACT program, saying it has invested "an unprecedented $7 billion to redevelop and renovate NYCHA apartments and communities, fundamentally transforming physical conditions and improving quality of life for thousands of public housing residents."
"After decades of federal disinvestment, PACT is one of the most successful long-term strategies for recapitalizing and preserving crucial affordable housing stock. In this report, the Comptroller's Office does not take into account NYCHA's financial and operational challenges and provides only a superficial assessment of the Authority's work with no substantive programmatic recommendations," the statement read.
NYCHA said that there have been "very few" eviction at PACT-operated properties, adding that the program "upholds resident rights and protections and provides households with ongoing social services and financial assistance to resolve existing rental arrears."
"NYCHA and its PACT program undoubtedly prioritize keeping New Yorkers housed, and any suggestion otherwise is misguided and false," the statement said.