NYCHA makes historic housing repair and upgrade investments

The New York City Housing Authority announced it invested more than $5.1 billion in repairs and upgrades over the past five years, completing more than 800 construction projects despite pandemic-related work stoppages and other COVID-19 disruptions.

City officials said the work reflects a sustained effort to address decades of deterioration, even as needs in the nation’s largest public housing system continue to outpace funding by tens of billions of dollars. Last year, according to NYCHA, the city’s annual capital spending rose to about $1.25 billion, up roughly 48 percent since 2021.

The progress follows a 2019 agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that brought NYCHA under federal oversight and reshaped how it carries out capital work, NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt said in a statement. Under the deal, a federal independent monitor was assigned to ensure the safety requirements related to lead paint, mold, heat and elevators are met, NYCHA said.

“NYCHA is now completing more capital work annually than at any point in recent history,” Bova-Hiatt stated. “The completion of more than 800 projects is a testament to our dedication to not only enhancing and expediting service delivery, but to making tangible improvements on the campuses and inside the homes and buildings of NYCHA residents.”

Across the five boroughs, projects have included replacing aging boilers and heating systems, elevator modernizations, roof repairs, facade work and upgrades to waste management infrastructure, according to NYCHA.

In greater Riverdale, the Marble Hill Houses were among the developments included in a citywide expansion of security infrastructure as part of an effort to improve safety and daily living conditions across public housing campuses, The Press previously reported.

According to NYCHA’s online Capital Projects & Needs Tracker, the city invested more than $200,000 to install closed-circuit television cameras in Marble Hill in a project completed in 2023.

However, in its 2025 five-year capital needs assessment, NYCHA estimated it needs roughly $600 million to address the most urgent issues at the Marble Hill complex.

The agency projects the total will reach about $675 million by 2044 to bring the development to “a state of good repair.” That figure accounts for both systems that have already failed and those expected to deteriorate in the coming years, according to NYCHA.

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg said in a statement although the scale of need remains significant, the recent upgrades are already showing results.

“In the face of longstanding federal disinvestment in public housing, NYCHA has made important changes over the last five years, resulting in significant capital improvements at properties across the five boroughs,” she stated. “While there is more work to do together across all levels of government to deliver for NYCHA residents, these investments and changes are making a tangible difference for thousands of our neighbors.”

NYCHA expects to complete construction on more than 125 projects in 2026, and to expend more than $1 billion in capital funds for the fourth consecutive year.

The agency will also begin large-scale upgrades to waste plumbing, kitchens and bathrooms at several developments, targeting the root causes of leaks and mold — issues that NYCHA said account for nearly 20 percent of its estimated $80 billion in capital needs.