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n a city that is home to over eight million people, and one that spends $3.5 billion annually on homelessness, the need for reliable public housing is critical. As New York City, and indeed the rest of the world, weathers the extreme effects of climate change with shifting weather patterns bringing severe storms and unprecedented heavy rainfall, it is the vulnerable members of the population who are the most exposed. In this climate, inadequate housing facilities are being tested like never before, often resulting in unliveable conditions for the tenants inside, in the form of rot, water damage, mold, and vermin infestations. These effects are mostly prevalent in the slew of historic apartment buildings originally built throughout New York between 1945 and 1970 that are now in dire need of renovation. A 2021 report by Bloomberg estimated that the cost of undertaking repairs and restorations across the city’s housing projects increases by $1 billion, every single year. Although the significant infrastructure plan proposed by President Joe Biden – but not passed by congress –offers some promise 12 | North America Outlook issue 08
THE CITY
W i t h i n a C i ty Arming its buildings against the impacts of climate change, we speak with Joy Sinderbrand, Vice President of the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Recovery and Resilience Department Writer: Phoebe Harper
in rebuilding the country in the wake of COVID-19, the portion of funds allocated to public housing are slim $40 billion across the whole of the US (not just New York City) of the total $1.7 trillion infrastructure allocation. As the largest public housing authority in North America, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has the momentous task of preserving residents’ rights and protections whilst providing permanently affordable accommodation for a vast number of individuals seeking assistance in this area. Its services extend to approximately one in every five New Yorkers. “Protecting existing public and affordable housing against the impacts of climate change is critical to
New York City’s continued success,” states Vice President of the Recovery and Resilience Department at NYCHA, Joy Sinderbrand. Since 1935, NYCHA has been the agency that people with low or moderate income have turned to obtain affordable housing. The Recovery and Resilience Department is an essential component of the work that NYCHA does. Presently, the department is engaged in a $3.2 billion program dedicated to repairing the lasting damage in the aftermath of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. The funds are also being used to invest in precedentsetting resilience elements to protect various structures and infrastructure across NYCHA’s developments. This
