Resident management corporations (RMCs) are one specific institutional structure through which NYCHA tenants can take control of their developments. RMCs are an available avenue through which public housing tenants can collectively take on full or partial management responsibilities of their developments. 

The idea for them grew out of the civil rights and welfare rights movements of the 1960s, and tenants’ frustrations about dilapidation and mismanagement (sound familiar?). Multiple RMCs emerged through the 1970s and 1980s, and in 1987, RMCs were legally codified into law as a governance option for public housing residents. In 1992, HUD did an extensive evaluation of 11 RMCs, comparing them to each other and to the housing authority and found that full-service RMCs, where residents took on the bulk of management responsibilities, were definitively superior managers.

These developments were better maintained, had robust social service programs, and created more employment opportunities for residents. Evictions and turnover were less frequent, and their operating expenses were lower. Tenants’ positive perceptions of their quality of life also reflected these changes.

Download this printable pamphlet to learn more.

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Source: How Can NYCHA Tenants Take Control of their Developments? – Justice for All Coalition

Posted on: March 2, 2020