Harlem Representative Adriano Espaillat Welcomes HUD Acting Secretary To District

Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat welcomed the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Adrianne Todman.

Rep Espaillet welcomed Mr. Todman to New York’s 13th congressional district to tour two public housing developments and discuss federal engagement with local leaders and residents.

During the visit, Rep. Espaillat led Acting Secretary Todman on tours to assess needs at Taft Houses and Fort Washington Avenue Rehab, and they were joined by Beverly McFarlane, Taft Houses Tenant President; Olga Lauriano, Fort Washington Tenant President; Persephone Tan , NYCHA Federal Affairs Officer; and Brian Honan, Senior Vice President of NYCHA Intergovernmental Affairs. 

“I am grateful to welcome HUD Acting Secretary Todman to NYCHA properties in my district to reaffirm the Biden Administration’s relentless collaboration to ensure New Yorkers have safe, accessible, and reliable public housing,” said Espaillat . “We must continue federal investments in our public housing stock and work to find innovative ways to meet the needs of our residents.”

During their discussion, Rep. Espaillat reiterated NYCHA’s 2023 Public Needs Assessment (PNA), which estimated 20-year physical needs of more than $78.3 billion across 264 public housing properties. There are currently 59 NYCHA properties within New York’s 13th congressional district, 32 of which have converted or are in the process of converting to Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT). Taft Houses is comprised of 1470 units across 10 buildings and has estimated five-year capital assessments of $475 million and a 20-year need of $613 million. Fort Washington Avenue Rehab began its PACT conversion in 2020 along with 16 other developments in Manhattan. The total estimated 20-year capital need for the entire bundle was $383 million. 

The purpose of today’s meeting was to assess necessary upgrades to each of buildings and see how the federal and local agencies can work together to provide New Yorkers with safe and reliable housing while also ensuring the oversight and protection of tenants’ rights.

Adriano Espaillat

Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.