NYC Council Speaker Adams, Finance Chair Brannan, Public Housing Chair Banks, Aging Chair Hudson Celebrate Full Funding Restoration for Security Guard Program at NYCHA Senior[...]

Long-running security guard program returns to 55 buildings

Brooklyn, NY - Today, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Members Justin Brannan, Chris Banks, and Crystal Hudson, New York City Housing Authority tenant leaders, and 32BJ union members celebrated the return of security guards at NYCHA senior developments, because of their successful restoration of funding in the city budget. Facing a $35 million deficit in its operating budget last spring, NYCHA cut $6.8 million from a decades-long program that provides shifts of unarmed security guards at 55 senior buildings. With only $1.5 million allocated in the Mayor's Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Executive Budget, the security services would have been eliminated from most developments in June 2024. NYCHA residents expressed safety and security concerns about losing the support of security guards at their developments, and the Council reversed the cut in its budget negotiations with the mayor to fully restore the security services in the FY25 adopted city budget.

The Council also secured an additional $700 million in capital funding for NYCHA in the FY25 budget and allocated over $3.4 million in its discretionary capital and expense funding to support programming and infrastructure improvements for public housing developments across the city.

Photos of the press conference can be found here, and a livestream of the event can be viewed here.

"Our seniors are the anchors of our communities, and they deserve to be and feel safe in their own homes," said Speaker Adrienne Adams. "The NYCHA unarmed security guard program is invaluable to residents' well-being and safety. The Council was proud to fight alongside our seniors to secure a full funding restoration of the mayor's cuts to this critical program, because our seniors remain a top priority for us. As a city, we must take New Yorkers' concerns seriously, as our seniors made clear, and continue to invest in the programs New Yorkers rely on."

"Sometimes lost in the noise of a tough budget negotiation was what our City Council knew from the beginning: removing security guards from NYCHA senior buildings just made zero sense," said Council Member Justin Brannan, Chair of the Committee on Finance. "Alongside Speaker Adrienne Adams, I was proud to draw a line in the sand and restore $7 million in funding that hung in the balance. Those efforts saved jobs and preserved safety at 55 public housing communities across the five boroughs. That's what investment in our communities looks like."

"Today's press conference acknowledging the restoration of $6.8 million dollars in the City's budget for the preservation of NYCHA's in-person unarmed security guard program at dozens of NYCHA senior developments across the City, represents a commitment to the safety of some of our city's most vulnerable residents," said Council Member Chris Banks, Chair of the Committee on Public Housing. "The safety and security of these residents do not simply equate to a bottom-line number on someone's balance sheet. The restoration of this funding and the preservation of the jobs of the unarmed security officers who help keep seniors in these developments safe is a priority, and the protection of our seniors and the livelihood of the workers who keep them safe will always come first.

Council Member Banks continued, "As Chair of the City Council's Committee on Public Housing, I am extremely pleased to stand alongside Speaker Adams and Finance Chair Brannan as we acknowledge the importance of this funding. I would like to thank Speaker Adams, Chair Brannan, and the members of the Budget Negotiation Team of the City Council who all fought tirelessly to ensure that this funding and the safety of our seniors residing in these NYCHA buildings, would not be taken for granted."

"Every budget season, the lives and needs of older adults are placed at risk due to reckless funding cuts to essential services that ensure their safety and well-being," said Council Member Crystal Hudson, Chair of the Committee on Aging. "Security guards at NYCHA senior buildings are not just safety measures but also beloved community members who serve as a friendly face as older adults leave or head back to their homes. Last year under the leadership of Speaker Adams and Council Member Banks, the Council fought and successfully restored funding to NYCHA security. I'm grateful to be part of a body that invests in our older adults and fights to ensure every New Yorkers can age in place with dignity."

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