Trump Housing Official Moves Into NYCHA At Turbulent Time

THE BRONX, NY — A Trump administration official started a month-long tenancy in New York City's public housing on Monday as the system braces for big changes.

Lynne Patton, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's regional administrator for New York and New Jersey, is staying in the Patterson Houses this week with Glady Sanchez, who has lived at the Bronx complex with her aunt since 2000.

Patton, a former event planner who worked for the Trump family, plans to spend five days apiece in four New York City Housing Authority developments over the next month to better understand tenants' experiences. She said she will bring her findings to HUD Secretary Ben Carson and the monitor whom federal officials will appoint as part of a recent deal to address NYCHA's myriad issues.

"I’m not here to do an 'Undercover Boss' on NYCHA," Patton said at a Monday news conference, apparently referring to the reality TV show.

"The goal of this move-in is to make NYCHA very aware of what is happening, to make the monitor very aware of what is happening, to make my boss, the secretary, very aware of what is happening, to make, quite frankly, the president of the United States very aware of what is happening here in his own hometown."

Patton's stay at each complex will start on a Monday and end the following Friday morning, she said. She said she won't be spending weekends in NYCHA apartments because she doesn't want to burden her hosts — and because her boyfriend and dog "would probably be in great distress if I was gone for too long."

Patton planned to begin her tenancy earlier but said she had to put off the plans because of the five-week partial government shutdown.

Six days after the shutdown ended on Jan. 25, Carson and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a sweeping agreement to strengthen federal oversight for NYCHA with an independent monitor and strict deadlines for the housing authority to address lead paint, heating failures, elevator breakdowns, mold and pest infestations.

The monitor will be named soon, Patton said. HUD and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office, which brought a complaint against NYCHA last year, are also compiling a list of candidates for the housing authority's next chair, she said. De Blasio tapped Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia to serve as interim chair last week.

"We are moving very quick, because the residents have wasted enough time," Patton said. "They need change and they need improvements now."

Patton said NYCHA has made sure other complexes she has visited are in tip-top shape by the time she sees them. She said she heard from advocates at Patterson that NYCHA had been waxing floors and polishing hallways for her move-in — and posted photos to her Facebook page as evidence.

Sanchez said she was "honored" that she was asked to host Patton and hopes the official learns from the visit that public housing tenants are "people just like everybody else." The mother of three said she has faced struggles in getting leaks fixed in her apartment.

"I’m sick and tired of excuses. I’m sick and tired of the naysayers. I’m sick and tired of being talked down to. I’m sick and tired of being ignored," Sanchez said. "The time for change is now."

NYCHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Lead image: Lynne Patton is seen on Jan. 31, 2019. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)