Public Housing Resiliency Pilot Program
The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR)’S Public Housing Resiliency Pilot Program (PHRPP), often referred to as the “NDR Program,” addresses the needs of highly vulnerable, low- and moderate--income public housing residents located in coastal and riverine communities. PHRPP focuses on protecting and enhancing the lives of residents of storm-impacted public housing developments, demonstrating a range of resilient interventions and reducing exposure to future disasters.
PHRPP was awarded funds via the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) National Disaster Resilience (NDR) Competition, which sought to promote risk assessment, encourage planning, and fund innovative resiliency projects to help communities be better prepared for extreme weather events.
In applying to the NDR Competition, GOSR used the best available Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance data and internal program data to identify Public Housing Authority (PHA) facilities sited in the 100-year or 500-year floodplain in areas with housing Unmet Recovery Need (URN). GOSR then analyzed this subset of properties for a tie-back to the qualified disaster(s), site-specific unmet needs, and geographic and demographic considerations with the goal of serving vulnerable populations and addressing a range of resiliency challenges.
Public Housing Assistance Relief Program
GOSR’s Public Housing Assistance Relief Program (PHARP) addresses the unmet residential repair, reconstruction, or resilience needs of PHAs. The Program provides funding for the repair or replacement of damaged public housing stock as well as the construction of new resiliency improvements.
Program Partners
GOSR’s partners for these programs include the four local PHAs in Binghamton, Freeport, Long Beach, and the Town of Hempstead that will implement the projects and are experienced in using public funds to build and/or manage affordable and public housing. The four PHAs identified project sites that sustained damage during Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and/or Tropical Storm Lee. The storms’ impacts included flooding, damage to electrical and mechanical systems, loss of power creating unsafe conditions, and loss of habitability.
GOSR is also partnering with developers Georgica Greene Ventures and 3D Development Group to construct resilient public housing in Freeport and Binghamton, respectively.
GOSR’s governmental and nonprofit partners include New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the principal agency responsible for funding affordable housing in the State, Enterprise Community Partners, a leading authority on resiliency measures for multi-family affordable housing, and Long Beach Public Schools Adult Learning Center, an expert practitioner of workforce development.
Updates
May 18, 2017 – Start of new construction at Freeport Housing Authority’s Moxey Rigby development, a new resilient housing site. (PHRPP & PHARP)
November 2, 2018 – Start of new construction activities for Binghamton Housing Authority’s Canal Plaza development. (PHARP)
November 21, 2019 – Completion of Freeport Housing Authority’s Moxey Rigby development. The five-story 101-unit structure was constructed across the street from the original Moxey Rigby complex, which was inundated with 10 feet of saltwater from Superstorm Sandy and deemed unrepairable to current New York State Building Code standards. The project was carried out in partnership with the Freeport Housing Authority and Georgica Green Ventures.
Photo 1: The image above includes the construction completion of Freeport Housing Authority’s Moxey Rigby apartment complex.
In addition to elevating the entire site above the floodplain, the project incorporated resiliency measures, such as the installation of mechanical equipment on the fifth floor, seven inches of insulation to preserve climate in the event of power outage, advanced water infiltration and storage to stop water from pooling in minor rain events, installation of a diesel backup generator, backflow valves to stop water from infiltrating the building, emergency cell phone charging stations, backup LED lights to guide residents during power outages, custom emergency preparedness plans, and state-of-the-art heating/cooling systems and ventilation.
All residents of the old Moxey Rigby were offered the option to relocate to the new complex, which is 25% larger and includes 10 one-bedroom, 60 two-bedroom, 24 three-bedroom and 6 four-bedroom rental apartments, a new basketball court, and a community playground. (PHRPP & PHARP)
February 5, 2020 – Start of construction activities at Binghamton Housing Authority’s North Shore Towers site. Activities include installation of new resilient roof, dry and wet floodproofing, elevating mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment, construction of new maintenance garage and rain garden. Construction completion is expected by the summer of 2022. (PHRPP & PHARP)
Photo 2: The image above includes the new domestic hot water heater system installed at Binghamton Housing Authority’s North Shore Towers
September 11, 2020 – Start of construction activities at Long Beach Housing Authority’s Channel Park Homes site. Activities include new flat roofing, new mansard roofing, new flood barrier along apartment building perimeter, new exterior siding, new doors, installation of A/C units, toilets and showerheads. Construction completion is expected by the summer of 2022. (PHRPP & PHARP)
Photo 3: The image above includes a few of the resiliency improvements including the floodwall, waterproof siding and new mansard roofing at Long Beach Housing Authority’s Channel Park Homes
October 1, 2020 – Construction completion of the Binghamton Housing Authority’s new Canal Plaza apartment complex. The new complex responds to a significant regional need for quality and affordable housing following the back-to-back impacts of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.
Canal Plaza includes 48 apartments for low-, very low- and extremely low-income households, including 12 apartments that will provide supportive services for New Yorkers with mental illness. The development also includes three commercial suites totaling about 15,000 square feet. (PHARP)
Photo 4: The image above includes the construction completion of Binghamton Housing Authority’s Canal Plaza apartment complex
October 13, 2020 – Start of construction activities at Town of Hempstead Housing Authority’s Inwood Gardens site. Activities include construction of a new community center, elevation of regular and emergency power, passive flood barriers at apartment buildings, replacement of apartment building electrical panels, hardening of boiler rooms and generators, and replacement of existing lighting fixtures with LED lighting. Construction completion is expected by the summer of 2022. (PHRPP & PHARP)
Photo 5: The image above includes an update on the construction of the new community center at Town of Hempstead Housing Authority’s Inwood Gardens.
November 4, 2020 – Start of construction activities at Town of Hempstead Housing Authority’s Mill River Gardens site. Activities include bulkhead replacement and repair, site drainage improvements, elevation of regular and emergency power, floodproofing apartment buildings and community center, hardening of boiler and generator rooms, landscaping improvements. Construction completion is expected by the summer of 2022. (PHRPP & PHARP)
Photo 6: The image above includes an update on the construction of the new bulkhead at Town of Hempstead Housing Authority’s Mill River Gardens.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What type of programs are these? Who is running these programs?
GOSR was established in June 2013 to maximize the coordination of recovery and rebuilding efforts in storm-affected municipalities throughout New York State. GOSR directs the administration of federal Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and Community Development Block Grant – NDR funds. GOSR operates within the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC). HTFC is a component of HCR, a unified leadership platform, encompassing a variety of New York State agencies and public benefit corporations involved in the provision of housing and community renewal.
What types of assistance do these programs offer?
Public Housing Resiliency Pilot Program (PHRPP) - PHRPP provides funding for the implementation of resiliency improvements to public housing developments that sustained damage by one or more Covered Storm (Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and/or Tropical Storm Lee) in order to reduce exposure to future natural disasters.
Public Housing Assistance Relief Program (PHARP) – This Program offers awards for the reimbursement of repair or replacement of public housing stock that sustained damage by one or more Covered Storm as well as the construction of new resiliency improvements.
How were the PHA sites selected for these programs?
In determining eligibility for assistance, GOSR reviewed the Unmet Recovery Need (URN) of Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in disaster-declared counties outside of New York City which were damaged by one or more of the Covered Storms. Assistance is provided directly to the PHA or to a development partner acting in concert with the PHA.