The Office of the First Deputy Commissioner brings together the functions that help to preserve the privately-owned housing stock. It also focuses on the functions that maintain and dispose of the City-owned housing stock. The First Deputy Commissioner also has oversight for several groups on which HPD's operating functions depend.

Housing Operations

The Deputy Commissioner for Housing Operations reports to the First Deputy Commissioner. Housing Operations is comprised of the Division of Architecture, Construction and Engineering (DACE), the Division of Tenant Resources, and the Division of Management and Disposition.

• Division of Architecture, Construction and Engineering (DACE) - DACE provides services to all the major divisions within HPD. DACE has technical responsibilities for all contract documents (i.e., work scopes, drawings, specifications, cost estimates, filing and sign off with the Department of Buildings). DACE reviews public bids, negotiates contract amounts and makes recommendations for contract awards. For projects designed by private architects, DACE reviews the contract documents to ensure conformance to HPD standards and to all zoning and building codes. DACE monitors ongoing construction work to ensure conformity to contract documents, construction techniques and codes. DACE also reviews and approves payment requisitions and change orders. The Labor Standards Unit monitors Agency projects for compliance with labor and equal opportunity provisions of HPD contracts, including Federal (Davis-Bacon Act) and City and State (Labor Law Section of 220, Section 230) prevailing wage requirements. LSU also receives, reviews and coordinates the pre-award processing of Equal Opportunity (EO) packages for Agency contracts and issues Certificates of Compliance in accordance with applicable funding source mandates.

• Division of Tenant Resources (DTR)- assists eligible families that reside in properties that have been recently renovated with HPD loans,but where the newly restructured rent causes a financial hardship. DTR also offers Housing Choice Voucher assistance to families who previously benefited from the agency's development programs but who maintain a significant rent burden that places them in a precarious housing situation. In all these instances, Housing Choice Vouchers are a critical resource in preventing the displacement and potential homelessness of low-income households from revitalized neighborhoods. The voucher program also partners with other government agencies and divisions within DTR to assist special needs populations, including homeless clients from shelters operated by HPD, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and the Human Resource Administration (HRA). Pursuant to special contracts offered by HUD, DTR also issues enhanced vouchers to families affected by a housing conversion action. These actions occur when a private property owner opts out of a project-based contract by prepaying an existing federal mortgage, and converts the property to market rate housing. Enhanced vouchers permit a special payment standard which exceeds the normally applicable payment standards, so long as the family remains in the development. Accordingly, these special contracts are funded at higher levels than standard vouchers. The use of enhanced vouchers by DTR has become a critical tool in preserving affordable housing opportunities for many of the City's Mitchell Lama residents. Finally, DTR has developed and coordinated programs designed to enhance the economic self-sufficiency of tenants in City-owned and City-assisted housing. DTR's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program assists families receiving HPD Section 8 to become economically independent by providing access to training, employment and long-term savings opportunities.

• Division of Management and Disposition- This Division has overall responsibility for the City-owned housing stock and vacant land that is under HPD's jurisdiction. There are two parts:

  • Division of Property Management- The Division of Property Management (DPM) manages City-owned (in rem) residential and commercial properties, as well as urban renewal properties, until they can be returned to responsible private ownership. In addition, this Division operates the Emergency Housing Services Bureau (EHSB), which provides emergency relocation services to tenants displaced as a result of fires or vacate orders issued by the Dept. of Buildings, Fire Dept., or HPD.

  • The Division of Alternative Management Programs (DAMP)develops and operates programs that provide alternatives to direct City management of occupied in-rem residential buildings by returning the properties to private and not-for-profit ownership. The goal of the disposition programs is to provide for the rehabilitation and sale of the properties to tenants, not-for-profit, and locally based for-profit organizations, which are responsible for the daily management of the properties. The City provides funding for the rehabilitation of the buildings.
    
    Through a comprehensive neighborhood redevelopment strategy known as Building Blocks!, the Division targets every City-owned building in a geographical cluster for rehabilitation and sale. The programs that comprise the Building Blocks! disposition programs include: the Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program (NEP), the Neighborhood Redevelopment Program (NRP), the Tenant Interim Lease Apartment Purchase Program (TIL), the Tenant Interim Lease II Apartment Purchase Program, the Tenant Ownership Program, the Asset Sales Building Purchase Program, and the Neighborhood Homes Program. In addition, DAMP includes program staff for the 7A Program. Housing Court judges appoint administrators through the 7A Program to operate privately-owned buildings that have been effectively abandoned by their owners, resulting in conditions that are dangerous to the tenants' lives, health and safety. The administrators act under Court Order to collect rents and use this money to provide essential services to the tenants and make necessary repairs.

Office of Preservation and Neighborhood Services

The Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Preservation and Neighborhood Services reports to the First Deputy Commissioner. The Office of Preservation and Neighborhood Services is comprised of the Divisions of Anti-Abandonment and Enforcement Services, as well as Housing Education and Narcotics Control.

• Division of Neighborhood Preservation- The Division of Neighborhood Preservation (DNP) conducts site assessments of thousands of buildings each year through four borough offices to: determine whether they are at-risk, develop individual treatment plans for the buildings, and coordinate the implementation of the treatment plans. DNP's activities are to: encourage owners to pay their taxes, enter into voluntary repair agreements with owners, refer owners to education and support programs including anti-abandonment training, provide assistance with rehabilitation loan financing, refer buildings for targeted code enforcement when necessary, and review distressed properties for exclusion from DOF tax lien sales.  DNP also coordinates several stages of the third party transfer process to convey distressed tax delinquent buildings to new responsible owners using an in remforeclosure mechanism. Finally, DNP oversees the work of Neighborhood Preservation Consultants who extend DNP's reach into communities throughout New York City by providing a variety of housing services.

• Enforcement Services- The Division of Code Enforcement enforces compliance with the City's Housing Maintenance Code and the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law. Tenants may call the City's Citizen Service Center at 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (311 can be accessed outside of New York City by dialing (212) NEW YORK) to register complaints concerning possible housing violations in their apartment, including lack of essential services (heat, hot/cold water, electricity). In response to these complaints, the Division can send out inspectors to inspect emergency conditions and issue violations to the landlord if violations are found, directing the landlord to perform the repair within a timeframe specified by law. Code Inspectors are now available to perform emergency inspections 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Division of Maintenance performs emergency repairs in privately-owned buildings in response to emergency violations (including lead paint) issued by Code Inspectors if the landlord fails to perform the repair. The Division also coordinates major repairs and contracts for improvements in City-owned buildings.

  The Office of Preservation and Neighborhood Services also runs a free Housing Education Program with courses on managing and maintaining one's property. It is also responsible for Narcotics Control.
  

Housing Supervision

The Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Housing Supervision reports to the First Deputy Commissioner.

• Housing Supervision- The Division of Housing Supervision is responsible for the regulation of 141 Mitchell-Lama rental and co-op housing companies with approximately 60,000 apartments. 55 of these companies are non-refinanced and HPD is the regulatory agency. The other 86 developments were refinanced in the late 1970's with the City as the second mortgagee, with HDC or secondary purchasers holding FHA-insured first mortgages.
  
  The Division also has jurisdiction over approximately 60 Municipal Loan projects and manages one former Mitchell Lama development that was foreclosed and is City-owned. Housing Supervision is also responsible for administering the Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption program for 4500 households in City and State Mitchell-Lamas and other regulated developments.

Administration

The Deputy Commissioner for Administration reports to the First Deputy Commissioner. The Office of Administration consists of three divisions providing services to the entire Agency.

• Division of Resources Management and Labor Relations- This division provides for the coordination and administration of human resources policies (including hiring and compensation); training for agency personnel; disciplinary actions; the management and maintenance of office space; and the providing of supplies, fleet services, printing and mail services for the Agency.

• Division of Management Review and Internal Compliance- This division is the central auditing office of the agency. This division is responsible for internal agency oversight and for conducting management reviews of agency operational and administrative program activities. Oversight responsibilities include reviewing recently issued Federal, State and City regulations to ensure compliance and to ensure audit recommendations are followed, where appropriate.

• Division of Equal Opportunity (EEO)- This division investigates and resolves discrimination complaints filed by employees and job applicants involving unfair treatment because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, national origin, sexual orientation, alienage or citizenship status, prior record of arrest or conviction, marital status, or sexual harassment.

Technology and Strategic Development (TSD)

The Associate Commissioner for Technology and Strategic Development (TSD) reports to the First Deputy Commissioner.

• Technology and Strategic Development (TSD)- TSD is responsible for managing HPD's Technology Infrastructure and supporting HPD's approximately 1600 clients and 2000 network devices at 18 sites throughout the five boroughs. TSD works to assure that HPD's mission critical business functions are supported by the appropriate level of technology, and provides professional services and business solutions.

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Office Descriptions -> Office of the Commissioner
Office Descriptions -> Office of First Deputy Commissioner
Office Descriptions -> Office of Housing Operations
Office Descriptions -> Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services 
Office Descriptions -> Office of Administration
Office Descriptions -> Chief of Staff
Office Descriptions -> Office of Development
Office Descriptions -> Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
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Office Descriptions -> Office of Budget, Fiscal Affairs, and Engineering Audit