Public housing residents in Brooklyn will decide how NYCHA funds repairs for two developments in Coney Island. 

Lauretta Brumfield, the tenant association president for the Coney Island Houses, is among the more than 700 tenants of the Coney Island Houses and Unity Towers who are eligible to vote for one of three funding modes for their respective developments.

What You Need To Know

  • Residents at the Coney Island Houses and Unity Towers are eligible to vote for one of three funding modes for their respective developments

  • One option is to remain as traditional Section 9 public housing, the second is to join the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, and the third is to opt for private management under the PACT program

  • The Coney Island Houses consist of five buildings, which NYCHA says have a 20-year capital need of $230 million. Unity Towers’ one building needs $83 million in work

“People know that it’s time to do something, so at least make your vote count,” Brumfield said. "A lot of people have no sinks, no cabinets in their kitchen right now, no cabinets in their kitchens because they’re just so frustrated with the ongoing wait, wait, wait."

One option is to remain as traditional Section 9 public housing. The second is to join the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, a government entity that can issue bonds to fund repairs.

And the third is to opt for private management under the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together — or PACT — program, which the city created in 2015 to help tackle NYCHA’s nearly $80 billion in capital repair needs. PACT would enable these developments to enter long-term leases with private developers.

“I’m afraid of something new, because you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t,” Margaret Williams, who has lived at the Coney Island Houses for 50 years, said.

Williams said management does not respond to problems as swiftly as they used to.

“Repairs are not being done,” she said. “The elevators break down all the time. Every week, we have no elevators.”

The Coney Island Houses consist of five buildings, which NYCHA says have a 20-year capital need of $230 million. Unity Towers’ one building needs $83 million in work.

“As NYCHA, we want to make sure that we have various different options, and we do, and because of that, residents have a choice to make,” NYCHA deputy director of voting Courtney Yu said.

The Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and the Bronx River Addition Houses in Soundview held similar votes within the last year. The majority of voters chose the City Trust, but it’s unclear if this latest batch of tenants will follow suit.

“There’s strength in numbers. That’s what I hope that they learn. This will be our first test. Whatever you want, you have to use your voice to get it,” Brumfield said.

Residents at the Coney Island Houses and Unity Towers have until 9 p.m. Thursday to cast their ballots either in person or by mail.

An initial tally will take place on Friday, with the official results announced on Aug. 23.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the amount needed for repairs at NYCHA's public housing.