Buses sponsored by the New York City Housing Authority delivered protesters to Albany March 18, the morning after Gov. David Paterson was sworn in, wasting no time in placing public housing issues at the center of the freshly cleaned table.


Protestors gather beneath Local 237's banner in Albany.

The Local 237 contingent of retirees, along with Housing Division Business Agent Norberto Luna and consultant Felipe Luciano joined members of the Coalition to Save Public Housing, flooding the streets around the capitol with banners, chants and speakers. The protesters demanded that the state renew its commitment to public housing, and to the residents who live there, by restoring funding in the state budget.

President Gregory Floyd, who was not present at the rally, said, “We will fight for every taxpayer dollar that has been derailed from public housing since the Bush administration began to dismantle the last source of affordable housing in New York City.” Floyd will lead another rally at City Hall in Manhattan May 1 to stop proposed job cuts at NYCHA. [See “Next Stop City Hall”].

Among the elected officials who addressed the protesters in the capital were State Senators Liz Krueger, Manhattan; Diane Savino, Staten Island; Malcolm Smith, Jamaica, Queens; Andrew Lanza, Staten Island; Assemblywomen Aurelia Greene, Bronx, and Kathy Nolan, Woodside and Astoria, Queens; Assemblymen Keith Wright, Harlem; Darryl Towns, Brooklyn; Brian Kavanagh, Manhattan; and Vito Lopez, Bushwick, Brooklyn.


Local 237 consultant Felipe Luciano addresses protesters in Albany.

In addition to an enormous budget deficit in recent years, the coalition noted in a statement, NYCHA’s deficit is currently close to $200 million. When New York State stopped funding state-sponsored public housing developments, NYCHA turned to inadequate Federal funds to support these complexes.

Coupled with the loss of city subsidies, and an economic crisis, NYCHA faces devastating declines in capital improvements, maintenance, and social and community services for residents. Hardships are expected to intensify for Local 237 members, many of whom also live in NYCHA developments, and have suffered through years of declining staff, supplies and services.