The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has been plagued by serious housing code violations since it began its Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program in 2017. Over 14,200 housing code violations have been reported across all RAD properties since January 2021, with nearly 4,000 cases requiring hired contractors to address the most serious issues.
The RAD program aims to revitalize public housing by partnering private developers to manage and maintain buildings. However, numerous residents and advocacy groups claim that NYCHA’s oversight is inadequate, allowing building managers to ignore code violations and neglect repairs.
In some cases, tenants have been forced to rely on 311 calls to get maintenance done, as the building management fails to address issues in a timely manner. Some developments, such as Boulevard Houses in East New York and Linden Houses in Brooklyn, have reported hundreds of code violations since entering the RAD program.
NYCHA has defended its handling of the issue, claiming that it is working to improve oversight and repair needs through the RAD program. However, many residents and advocates argue that more needs to be done to address the root causes of the problems.
The lack of transparency and accountability in NYCHA’s RAD program has left thousands of residents with unresolved code violations, further exacerbating the already dire living conditions in public housing.
Source: https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/10/nycha-rad-pact-boulevard-linden-violations