Isaacs Houses Residents Weigh Ditching Public Housing for Section 8

"Starting Feb. 13, each resident over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to vote between three choices: to lease their buildings to private developers and switch to Section 8 as part of the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, to switch to the state-managed Public Housing Preservation Trust that also utilizes Section 8, or to remain as Section 9, the federal government's public housing program."

"At its core, the vote is a choice of how to deal with the decades-long, chronic underfunding of public housing- slated to only be exacerbated throughout Trump's presidency. Both of the new choices move residents to Section 8, a federal voucher with more guaranteed funding than Section 9 that would allow residents to keep paying 30 percent of their income towards rent."

"With the buildings guaranteed a more consistent future revenue source, their managers would borrow money to fund large-scale renovations. But making the switch requires tenants to sacrifice the stability of Section 9, leading many to question if it's worth tolerating temporary relocations-and in the case of PACT, higher eviction rates and increased surveillance -that they've heard about at other NYCHA developments that have converted."

Residents of the Stanley Isaacs Houses will vote beginning Feb. 13 on whether to remain in Section 9 public housing or convert to one of two Section 8 options: leasing to private developers under PACT or joining the state-managed Public Housing Preservation Trust. Both conversion options provide more guaranteed federal funding and let residents keep paying 30 percent of income for rent. Increased funding would allow managers to borrow for major renovations. Converting requires sacrificing Section 9 stability, raising concerns about temporary relocations, higher eviction rates under PACT, and increased surveillance reported at other converted NYCHA developments.

Read at City Limits