New York NYCHA board sitting on nearly $1B in fed cash (low income, apartments)

[mesa1974]

NYCHA board sitting on nearly $1B in fed cash

The New York City Housing Authority and its board members have failed to spend nearly $1 billion that it has been hoarding since 2009 to make life more livable for the 400,000 residents of its 334 developments, the Daily News has learned.

By Larry Mcshane AND Greg B. Smith / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Wednesday, August 1, 2012, 12:04 AM

Updated: Wednesday, August 1, 2012, 4:00 AM












http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo..._635/nycha.jpg

The New York City Housing Authority and its board members have failed to spend nearly $1 billion that it has been hoarding since 2009 to make life more livable for the 400,000 residents of its 334 developments, the Daily News has learned.



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They earn close to $200,000 a year, ride in city-owned cars, live in tony Manhattan apartments — and are sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars intended to benefit low income New York families.
The New York City Housing Authority and its board members have failed to spend nearly $1 billion that it has been hoarding since 2009 to make life more livable for the 400,000 residents of its 334 developments, the Daily News has learned.
The money from the federal government is supposed to repair leaky roofs, broken elevators, moldy walls and busted playground equipment in the authority’s crumbling properties.

Read more: NYCHA board sitting on nearly $1B in fed cash - NY Daily News

[jcoltrane]

The money s/b returned to the taxpayers.

In NYCHA, the problems aren't necessarily a matter of (lack) of money. Spending money is not going to adjust the mentality of those residents whose behavior detrimently effects the living condition of public/subsidized housing.

Sure, NYCHA is incompetently managed, no surprise in that regard. All government is incompetently managed.


Is $200K in salary enough to attract *competent* management in the City of New York?

No!

Not iin a city where competent educated management personnel earn in the high six figures to millions per year. Competency cannot be afforded.

So, whose the blame? The idiots who are willing to take the jobs???? If they are idiots, then what can be expected.

Those truly responsible?

YOU!!!

The voter and taxpayer for failing to be involved, aware, and utilizing your vote and efforts to demand and ensure competent government!

And in the case of NYCHA and subsidized housing in general, so too are the residents themselves for their living condition.

So, to place blame on the mystical powers that be; the omnipresent "they", is simply irresponsible and stupid!

****

Join the Tea Party. Demand competency and accoutability by STOPPING the spending! Say, NO to more spending! Enough! No, No, No Compromise!!

[SobroGuy]

Yes the tea party indeed...home of the "Keep the government out of Medicare" dummies. I don't think there is a more uninformed yet horribly angry group.

[citylove101]

We dont know for sure why this money hasnt been spent and I hope the Daily News does some more investigating and follows up on this.

But part of the problem could be the city contracting process, which is long, laborious and tortured. The city cant just pick the best company for the job, but has to open the process up to bidding, examine the bidders' past records, insure minority representation about the bidders, and a zillion other factors. Plus there are really only a limited number of companeis that can do lcertain large projects. And even when the contract is finally signed, the city can still end up with companies that perform shoddy work or are lining their pockets.

Anybody remember the Central Park skating rink? The city failed to finish it for years until the Donald Trump stepped in and quickly finished the job. (Probably one of the few good things Trump has ever done).

In short I don't neccessarily think its just incompetence that has left that money unused. It might just be the system itself, which requires so many checks and balances that it makes it harder to get things done that we'd like.

I'll be interested to see how this plays out and what the answer really is.

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by citylove101

We dont know for sure why this money hasnt been spent and I hope the Daily News does some more investigating and follows up on this.

But part of the problem could be the city contracting process, which is long, laborious and tortured. The city cant just pick the best company for the job, but has to open the process up to bidding, examine the bidders' past records, insure minority representation about the bidders, and a zillion other factors. Plus there are really only a limited number of companeis that can do lcertain large projects. And even when the contract is finally signed, the city can still end up with companies that perform shoddy work or are lining their pockets.

Anybody remember the Central Park skating rink? The city failed to finish it for years until the Donald Trump stepped in and quickly finished the job. (Probably one of the few good things Trump has ever done).

In short I don't neccessarily think its just incompetence that has left that money unused. It might just be the system itself, which requires so many checks and balances that it makes it harder to get things done that we'd like.

I'll be interested to see how this plays out and what the answer really is.

Then they should privatize NYCHA. Let a management company run NYCHA for them. Problem solved.

[nybbler]

Originally Posted by SeventhFloor

Then they should privatize NYCHA. Let a management company run NYCHA for them. Problem solved.

ROTFL. Private companies paid with public money run with all the efficiency of a defense contratcor.

[SobroGuy]

For the record NYCHA is soliciting bids to let a management company run all their parking lots, so expanding it to the residential side would not be shocking at this point.

[11KAP]

they're doing that on purpose so people
can continue to live in inferior conditions.

[grvthang]

This claim of nycha 'sitting on' $1B of federal capital funds is totally untrue. Notice that there are absolutely no details to back it up; that's because there aren't any. The Daily News authors of this "expose" are misrepresenting how the funding works.

nycha recieves a yearly grant from HUD for capital improvements. The terms of these grants work like this: For each grant. NYCHA has two years to "obligate" the money (that means decide which projects to spend it on, design the projects, bid the projects out, and award the projects to contractors), then an additional 2 years to "expend" the grant (pay the contractors as they perform the work).

Of course the money doesn't get expended as soon as its received by nycha - that would mean paying all the contractors before they even perform the work. So of course this money isn't expended yet - it gets paid out as the work progresses. If you call that hoarding, next time you hire a contractor, pay him him 100% before he does the work.

NYCHA meets every HUD capital grant obligation and expenditure deadline. That's a fact. Both Rhea and Bloomberg have pointed this out, but nobody's listening because they're being drowned out by this irresponsible, misleading journalism.

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by grvthang

This claim of nycha 'sitting on' $1B of federal capital funds is totally untrue. Notice that there are absolutely no details to back it up; that's because there aren't any. The Daily News authors of this "expose" are misrepresenting how the funding works.

nycha recieves a yearly grant from HUD for capital improvements. The terms of these grants work like this: For each grant. NYCHA has two years to "obligate" the money (that means decide which projects to spend it on, design the projects, bid the projects out, and award the projects to contractors), then an additional 2 years to "expend" the grant (pay the contractors as they perform the work).

Of course the money doesn't get expended as soon as its received by nycha - that would mean paying all the contractors before they even perform the work. So of course this money isn't expended yet - it gets paid out as the work progresses. If you call that hoarding, next time you hire a contractor, pay him him 100% before he does the work.

NYCHA meets every HUD capital grant obligation and expenditure deadline. That's a fact. Both Rhea and Bloomberg have pointed this out, but nobody's listening because they're being drowned out by this irresponsible, misleading journalism.

NYCHA got $42 million to specifically install those cameras that can "hear" gunshots and turn to view the area where the gunshots are coming from.....they didnt get installed. and they still have that money. It takes months to get a simple repair done up in there. It's disgusting.