NYCHA Repair Backlog Down 113,000 Work Orders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, April 4, 2013 If you are a member of the press, please contact the following Communications Officers for additional information for your publication or news outlet: NYCHA: Sheila Stainback or Zodet Negrón media@nycha.nyc.gov (212) 306-3322 NYCHA Eliminates Nearly 113,000 Repair Work Orders from Its Backlog NYCHA Staff surpass the Authority’s April 1st target by more than 5,700 work orders The New York City Housing Authority today announced that it has reduced the number of open work orders to less than 310,000 from a peak of over 420,000 as of April 1, 2013. The reduction is a result of NYCHA’s Action Plan to improve its efficiency in responding to maintenance and repair work orders. This decrease of approximately 113,000 work orders surpasses the April 1st target the Authority established by more than 5,700 work orders and positions NYCHA to achieve its goal of eliminating the backlog by the end of 2013.

NYCHA has significantly improved its ability to close outstanding work requests following implementation of its Action Plan. While some components of the Action Plan remain to be implemented, as of April 1, NYCHA has added over 500 additional workers since January 2013 to support the work order reduction plan. In 2012, NYCHA added 176 workers for maintenance and repair through an allocation of $10 million from the City Council. NYCHA has also improved its performance management systems; improved the availability of materials; improved work order coordination and planning; and modified its work management system, along with other process improvements.

The Authority’s ultimate goal is to respond to corrective maintenance requests within an average of 7 days, and to complex maintenance requests within an average of 15 days. Emergency repairs will continue to be handled within 24 hours. As of April 1st, several functional areas are meeting the planned service levels. As NYCHA continues to implement the Action Plan throughout the year, residents will begin to see shorter wait times for work in their apartments.

NYCHA’s Action Plan is based on a combination of internal process improvements and additional resources made available through internally generated savings ($30 million) and City Council funds ($10 million). These amounts, when combined with efficiencies in NYCHA’s existing operating budget, fund NYCHA’s Action Plan. The Action Plan was developed by NYCHA management with input from employees, residents; the labor unions representing NYCHA workers; and advocacy groups. NYCHA will continue to provide regular progress updates on this initiative on its website, www.nyc.gov/nycha.

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