New York City Housing Authority Research Articles

Persistent environmental lead exposures disrupting black children’s neurodevelopment and quality of life trajectories: an under-recognized ACE in the hole

Persistent environmental lead exposures disrupting black children’s neurodevelopment and quality of life trajectories: an under-recognized ACE in the hole

“Only Time Will Tell”: The Underexplored Impacts of Lead Poisoning and COVID-19 on Pre-Existing ACEs in New York

The peak of the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) in New York City significantly impacted communities that lived in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). However, these same communities have been historically reported to test positive for lead poisoning due to neglect of proper lead abatement and the removal of lead sources within these buildings. The consequences of these failed actions by NYCHA resulted in multiple generations of lead-poisoned children, which can be argued as a form of mass atrocity and genocide. The long-term neurodevelopmental and socio-economic outcomes of children exposed to lead and COVID-19 remain to be elucidated. This short communication attempts to bring attention to this overlooked matter and draws upon the scarce, but emerging, reports in the literature to start a conversation on the synergistic potential of these looming public health issues. Further, suggestions for providing consistent blood lead screening and COVID-19 testing could serve to clarify whether a “two-hit” hypothesis of a neurotoxicant (lead) and a neuroimmune (COVID-19) virus that produces an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE-19). More work is needed in this area to (dis)confirm the potential for this “two-hit” hypothesis, and only time will tell.

Carceral connections: The role of policing in the management of public housing in New York City

Between 2006 and 2022, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) attempted to address the fiscal and infrastructural crises in public housing through a number of controversial privatisation strategies. This contested push occurred alongside the pervasive role of policing in public housing. The New York City Police Department utilises several policing strategies specific to NYCHA communities, collaborating with the housing authority in the management of public housing residents. This article draws on qualitative content analysis of local policing strategies and public housing policy reforms in New York City to investigate how the state facilitates the displacement of disproportionately poor, non-white, public housing tenants while simultaneously sponsoring privatised redevelopment in their communities in ways that mirror gentrification processes usually studied in private housing. I focus on the content of and linkages between public housing-specific policing strategies and privatising public housing redevelopment plans. By examining police as collaborators within public housing policy, I uncover the entanglement of law enforcement in urban development, as well as the underlying roles and relationships between the state, capital and police in contemporary urban development and gentrification. The findings illuminate the processes of carceral urbanism, where the logics of the carceral state emerge as priorities throughout the urban governance of the contemporary neoliberal state in general, and public housing policy reform in particular.

Community implications for gun violence prevention during co-occurring pandemics; a qualitative and computational analysis study

This study provides insight into New York City residents' perceptions about violence after the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) based on information from communities in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings. In this novel analysis, we used focus group and social media data to confirm or reject findings from qualitative interviews. We first used data from 69 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with low-income residents and community stakeholders to further explore how violence impacts New York City's low-income residents of color, as well as the role of city government in providing tangible support for violence prevention during co-occurring health (COVID-19) and social (anti-Black racism) pandemics. Residents described how COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement impacted safety in their communities while offering direct recommendations to improve safety. Residents also shared recommendations that indirectly improve community safety by addressing long term systemic issues. As the recruitment of interviewees was concluding, researchers facilitated two focus groups with 38 interviewees to discuss similar topics. In order to assess the degree to which the themes discovered in our qualitative interviews were shared by the broader community, we developed an integrative community data science study which leveraged natural language processing and computer vision techniques to study text and images on public social media data of 12 million tweets generated by residents. We joined computational methods with qualitative analysis through a social work lens and design justice principles to most accurately and holistically analyze the community perceptions of gun violence issues and potential prevention strategies. Findings indicate valuable community-based insights that elucidate how the co-occurring pandemics impact residents' experiences of gun violence and provide important implications for gun violence prevention in a digital era.

Long-Term Trends in Secondhand Smoke Exposure in High-Rise Housing Serving Low-Income Residents in New York City: Three-Year Evaluation of a Federal Smoking Ban in Public Housing, 2018-2021.

In July 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development passed a rule requiring public housing authorities to implement smoke-free housing (SFH) policies. We measured secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure immediately before, and repeatedly up to 36 months post-SFH policy implementation in a purposeful sample of 21 New York City (NYC) high-rise buildings (>15 floors): 10 NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings subject to the policy and 11 privately managed buildings in which most residents received housing vouchers (herein "Section 8"). We invited participants from nonsmoking households (NYCHA n = 157, Section-8 n = 118) to enroll in a longitudinal air monitoring study, measuring (1) nicotine concentration with passive, bisulfate-coated filters, and (2) particulate matter (PM2.5) with low-cost particle sensors. We also measured nicotine concentrations and counted cigarette butts in common areas (n = 91 stairwells and hallways). We repeated air monitoring sessions in households and common areas every 6 months, totaling six post-policy sessions. After 3 years, we observed larger declines in nicotine concentration in NYCHA hallways than in Section-8, [difference-in-difference (DID) = -1.92 µg/m3 (95% CI -2.98, -0.87), p = .001]. In stairwells, nicotine concentration declines were larger in NYCHA buildings, but the differences were not statistically significant [DID= -1.10 µg/m3 (95% CI -2.40, 0.18), p = .089]. In households, there was no differential change in nicotine concentration (p = .093) or in PM2.5 levels (p = .385). Nicotine concentration reductions in NYCHA common areas over 3 years may be attributable to the SFH policy, reflecting its gradual implementation over this time. Continued air monitoring over multiple years has demonstrated that SHS exposure may be declining more rapidly in NYCHA common areas as a result of SFH policy adherence. This may have positive implications for improved health outcomes among those living in public housing, but additional tracking of air quality and studies of health outcomes are needed. Ongoing efforts by NYCHA to integrate the SFH policy into wider healthier-homes initiatives may increase policy compliance.

Concentrated incarceration and the public-housing-to-prison pipeline in New York City neighborhoods

Using public housing developments as a strategic site, our research documents a distinct pathway linking disadvantaged context to incarceration-the public-housing-to-prison pipeline. Focusing on New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing developments as a case study, we find that incarceration rates in NYCHA tracts are 4.6 times higher than those in non-NYCHA tracts. More strikingly, 94% of NYCHA tracts report rates above the median value for non-NYCHA tracts. Moreover, 17% of New York State's incarcerated population originated from just 372 NYCHA tracts. Compared with non-NYCHA tracts, NYCHA tracts had higher shares of Black residents and were significantly more disadvantaged. This NYCHA disadvantage in concentrated incarceration is also robust at different spatial scales. Our findings have implications for policies and programs to disrupt community-based pipelines to prison.

Associations between inspections for unsafe housing conditions and evictions in New York City public housing buildings.

Poor housing conditions and evictions are both associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes, such as increased risks for cardiovascular disease, depression, and injuries. However, the relationship between these two negative housing outcomes has received little quantitative study, including in public housing where exposure to these factors and to negative health outcomes are elevated. We therefore sought to examine the relationship between evictions and formal housing safety inspections triggered by tenant complains about poor conditions. We estimated a hierarchical logistic regression model assessing associations between housing quality inspections and evictions using data from January 2017 and March 2020 on 3,746 residential buildings within 299 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, adjusting for development size, funding type, and area-level social vulnerability indicators. The average Social Vulnerability Index percentile for the buildings included in this study was 0.90 (SD = 0.12), indicating that these buildings were in areas with greater social vulnerability than 90% of other census tracts in the state. Adjusted predicted probabilities of an eviction increased from 34 to 43% in the presence of a rodent inspection and from 34 to 46% in the presence of an indoor environmental inspection (p < 0.001 for both), indicating that inspections for unsafe housing conditions were associated with evictions at the building level. Substandard housing quality and evictions are important public health concerns. Policies to enhance protections for tenants against both of these social ills simultaneously may be needed to improve community health outcomes.

A Matched Analysis of the Association Between Federally Mandated Smoke-Free Housing Policies and Health Outcomes Among Medicaid-Enrolled Children in Subsidized Housing, New York City, 2015-2019.

Smoke-free housing policies are intended to reduce the deleterious health effects of secondhand smoke exposure, but there is limited evidence regarding their health impacts. We examined associations between implementation of a federal smoke-free housing rule by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and pediatric Medicaid claims for asthma, lower respiratory tract infections, and upper respiratory tract infections in the early post-policy intervention period. We used geocoded address data to match children living in tax lots with NYCHA buildings (exposed to the policy) to children living in lots with other subsidized housing (unexposed to the policy). We constructed longitudinal difference-in-differences models to assess relative changes in monthly rates of claims between November 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019 (the policy was introduced on July 30, 2018). We also examined effect modification by baseline age group (≤2, 3-6, or 7-15 years). In New York City, introduction of a smoke-free policy was not associated with lower rates of Medicaid claims for any outcomes in the early postpolicy period. Exposure to the smoke-free policy was associated with slightly higher than expected rates of outpatient upper respiratory tract infection claims (incidence rate ratio=1.05, 95% confidence interval:1.01, 1.08), a result most pronounced among children aged 3-6 years. Ongoing monitoring is essential to understanding long-term health impacts of smoke-free housing policies.

Designing to minimize the administrative burden of trash disposal: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in New York City public housing

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the largest public housing manager in North America. One widespread concern for residents and staff is the improper disposal of household trash and litter on NYCHA grounds. Here we present the co-produced service of trash disposal through the lens of administrative burden; official policy is unclear for residents and options are confusing or inconvenient, resulting in significant learning, compliance, and psychological costs. To reduce this burden, we redesigned the trash disposal infrastructure – new large containers placed at convenient locations – and introduced a package of indoor and outdoor posters communicating the new policy. 53 NYCHA developments, randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, were broken into 79 smaller observation sites. Weekly counts of visible trash bags and litter were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention, over a period of 21 weeks. The average number of household trash bags decreased by 25% (p&lt;.05) in treatment sites after the intervention, and the average amount of litter decreased by 16% (p&lt;.05). Providing easier access to disposal infrastructure, complemented by community-oriented and instructional communications, significantly reduced visible trash on NYCHA grounds, demonstrating that new structures and resources can effectively reduce burdens and change behavior.

Reported Marijuana and Tobacco Smoke Incursions Among Families Living in Multiunit Housing in New York City.

While public knowledge on the prevalence and adverse health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure is well established, information on the prevalence of secondhand marijuana smoke (SHMS) exposure is limited. A convenience sample of parents of children attending 1 of 4 pediatric practices in the Mount Sinai Health System completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing demographics, housing characteristics, and the child's health status, as well as smoke incursions and household smoking behaviors. About 450 parents completed the survey between 2018 and 2019; those with incomplete data were excluded, and 382 surveys were included in the analysis. Approximately 40% of the children were white; the median age was 15 months (interquartile range: 5-40 months). About 30.9% (n=118) of participants reported marijuana incursions in their home while with their child, while 33.5% (n=122) reported tobacco smoke incursions. SHMS exposure differed by race (P = .0043); and by housing types (P < .0001). Participants in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments were more likely to report smelling SHMS (adjusted odds ratio = 3.45, 95% confidence interval = 1.18, 10.10], P=.02). Those in Section 8 housing were also more likely to report smelling SHMS, but the association was not significant (adjusted odds ratio = 3.29, 95% confidence interval = 0.94, 11.55, P=.06). Approximately two thirds of the participants reported viewing marijuana smoke as being harmful to their child. About one third of the families enrolled in the study reported smelling SHMS while at home with their child. Reported marijuana smoke exposure was associated with living in NYCHA housing. Policies that limit all smoke in multiunit housing should be supported.

Evaluation of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in New York City Public Housing After Implementation of the 2018 Federal Smoke-Free Housing Policy

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is associated with many health conditions in children and adults. Millions of individuals in the US are currently exposed to SHS in their homes. To investigate whether a federal ban on smoking in public housing settings was associated with a decrease in indoor SHS levels in New York City public housing developments 12 months after the policy's implementation. This cohort study tracked indoor air quality longitudinally from April 2018 to September 2019 and used difference-in-differences analysis to examine SHS exposure before vs after implementation of the 2018 federal smoke-free housing (SFH) policy in 10 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings vs 11 matched low-income buildings not subject to the SFH policy (ie, Section 8 buildings). Federal SFH policy implementation, beginning July 30, 2018. Comparison of nicotine concentration levels from passive, bisulfate-coated filters before vs 12 months after implementation of the federal SFH policy. Secondary outcomes included changes in particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter, measured with low-cost particle monitors, and counts of cigarette butts in common areas. Air quality was measured repeatedly in a total of 153 NYCHA and 110 Section 8 nonsmoking households as well as in 91 stairwells and hallways. Before the SFH policy implementation, air nicotine was detectable in 19 of 20 stairwells (95.0%) in NYCHA buildings and 15 of 19 stairwells (78.9%) in Section 8 buildings (P = .19) and in 17 of 19 hallways (89.5%) in NYCHA buildings and 14 of 23 hallways (60.9%) in Section 8 buildings (P = .004). Nicotine was detected less frequently inside nonsmoking apartments overall (26 of 263 [9.9%]) but more frequently in NYCHA apartments (20 of 153 [13.1%]) than in Section 8 apartments (6 of 110 [5.5%]) (P = .04). One year after policy implementation, there was no differential change over time in nicotine concentrations measured in stairwells (DID, 0.03 μg/m3; 95% CI, -0.99 to 1.06 μg/m3) or inside nonsmoking households (DID, -0.04 μg/m3; 95% CI, -0.24 to 0.15 μg/m3). Larger decreases in nicotine concentration were found in NYCHA hallways than in Section 8 hallways (DID, -0.43 μg/m3; 95% CI, -1.26 to 0.40 μg/m3). The findings suggest that there was no differential change in SHS in NYCHA buildings 12 months after SFH policy implementation. Additional support may be needed to ensure adherence to SFH policies.

Fast Forward into the Past: Frederick Ackerman’s Radical Banality and the Affordable Housing Future That Could Have Been

The design of affordable housing is a pursuit inextricably linked to the project of modernism. In New York City the achievements of its housing authority would become immediately recognizable for their uncompromised realization of modern architecture’s promise for the future – reductive appearance, essential interior arrangements, and a siting defined by the elimination of the preexisting urban fabric. Without the idealistic cover of modernism, the enterprise can now be recognized as anti-urban from the start. Today, the superblock sites of low-income housing continue to stand alone as stigmatized suburban anomalies. This paper looks back at the birth of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and asks what if in 1937, following the completion of both First Houses by Frederick Ackerman and Williamsburg Houses by William Lescaze, it was the radical banality of First Houses that had been embraced as the more appropriate template for the future? Could our future city have become more equitable?

Self-reported Secondhand Marijuana Smoke (SHMS) Exposure in Two New York City (NYC) Subsidized Housing Settings, 2018: NYC Housing Authority and Lower-Income Private Sector Buildings.

The percentage of adults in the United States reporting current marijuana use has more than doubled, from 4 to 9% between 2002 and 2018, suggesting that exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke (SHMS) has probably increased. Few studies have characterized the extent to which residents experience SHMS, particularly those living in multi-unit housing. It remains unknown how recently-implemented smoke-free housing policies (SFH) targeting cigarette smoke in public housing authorities (PHAs) will affect SHMS exposure. We sought to characterize prevalence of self-reported SHMS exposure among residents living in two different subsidized housing settings prior to SFH policy implementation in PHAs: New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings and private sector buildings where most residents receive Section8 subsidy vouchers (herein 'Section8' buildings). Residents were recruited from 21 purposefully-selected buildings: 10 NYCHA and 11 Section8 buildings (> 15 floors). Survey responses were collected during April-July 2018 for NYCHA residents (n = 559) and August-November 2018 for Section8 residents (n = 471). Of 4628 eligible residents, 1030 participated (response rates, 35% NYCHA, 32% Section8). Overall, two-thirds of residents reported smelling marijuana smoke (67%) in their home over the past year, higher than reports of smelling cigarette smoke (60%). Smoking status and smelling SHS were both strong predictors of smelling SHMS (p < 0.05). Nearly two thirds of residents perceived smoking marijuana and smelling SHMS as harmful to health. Our findings suggest that,immediately prior to SFH rule implementation in PHAs, SHMS was pervasive in low-income multi-unit housing, suggesting SFH policies should expand to cover marijuana use.

Secondhand smoke exposure in public and private high-rise multiunit housing serving low-income residents in New York City prior to federal smoking ban in public housing, 2018

BackgroundTobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with 41,000 deaths attributable to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. On July 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development passed a rule requiring public housing authorities to implement smoke-free housing (SFH) policies. ObjectivesPrior to SFH policy implementation, we measured self-reported and objective SHS incursions in a purposeful sample of 21 high-rise buildings (>15 floors) in New York City (NYC): 10 public housing and 11 private sector buildings where most residents receive federal housing subsidies (herein ‘Section 8’ buildings). MethodsWe conducted a baseline telephone survey targeting all residents living on the 3rd floor or higher of selected buildings: NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents were surveyed in April-July 2018 (n = 559), and residents in ‘Section 8’ buildings in August-November 2018 (n = 471). We invited non-smoking household participants to enroll into a longitudinal air monitoring study to track SHS exposure using: (1) nicotine concentration from passive, bisulfate-coated nicotine filters and (2) particulate matter (PM2.5) from low-cost particle monitors. SHS was measured for 7-days in non-smoking households (NYCHA n = 157, Section 8 n = 118 households) and in building common areas (n = 91 hallways and stairwells). ResultsSmoking prevalence among residents in the 21 buildings was 15.5%. Two-thirds of residents reported seeing people smoke in common areas in the past year (67%) and 60% reported smelling smoke in their apartments coming from elsewhere. Most stairwells (88%) and hallways (74%) had detectable nicotine levels, but nicotine was detected in only 9.9% of non-smoking apartments. Substantial variation in nicotine and PM2.5 was observed between and within buildings; on average nicotine concentrations were higher in NYCHA apartments and hallways than in Section 8 buildings (p < 0.05), and NYCHA residents reported seeing smokers in common areas more frequently. ConclusionsSFH policies may help in successfully reducing SHS exposure in public housing, but widespread pre-policy incursions suggest achieving SFH will be challenging.

Public Housing Participation in Superstorm Sandy Recovery: Living in a Differentiated State in Rockaway, Queens

Recovery experiences of public housing residents in the Rockaways, Queens (New York City (NYC)), after Superstorm Sandy suggest that living in NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties creates circumscribed opportunities for local political participation, what I call a “differentiated state.” This differentiated state is constructed from four interconnected sociospatial features: (1) tenants’ stigmatized identities, (2) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations, (3) NYCHA’s “para-governmental” status, and (4) spatial concentration of the developments. I empirically demonstrate this “differentiated state” based on a grounded case study of disparities in disaster recovery participation in Rockaway. This analysis offers a new spatial lens to the scholarship on policy feedbacks and delivers a new synthesis of the limits to tenants’ political participation in conventional public housing developments in the United States, home to more than two million people.

뉴욕시 NYCHA 인필개발에 대한 분석적 고찰 -주거저렴성 및 사회적 건전성 확보를 중심으로-

국내 주요 대도시는 도심지 내 고비용의 지가와 개발가능부지의 부족으로 기존 대규모 택지공급방식에 대한 대안의 필요성에 직면하고 있다. 또한 높은 주택수요와 부족한 공급량에 대한 대응으로 적정가격의 주택을 공급하고 관련 주택기관의 재정적 안정성을 동시에 고민하고 있다. 특히 공공부문은 최근 획일적 공공임대주택의 공급에서 탈피하여 소득 및 수요계층에 부합하는 다양한 형태의 임대주택 공급을 시도하고 있다. 본 연구가 주목하는 NYCHA(New York City Housing Authority) 인필개발(Infill Development)은 뉴욕시의 거시적인 주거정책인 "Next Generation NYCHA"에 포함된 세부 실행사업이며 이러한 국내 상황과 동일한 맥락적 상황에 대한 대응이다. 이는 공공부문의 주도적 역할을 통해 기존 문제적 공공주택단지의 유휴부지 개발을 통하여 주택공급량을 확대함으로 서민을 위한 주거저렴성 확보와 동시에 만성적 적자에 허덕이는 뉴욕시 주택공사의 재정상태 강화를 목적으로 한다. 나아가 이 사업을 통해 주변지역으로 부터 고립되어 다양한 사회-경제적 문제점이 노출되는 공공주택단지에 대한 해결방안을 함께 모색한다. 이에 본 연구는 현재 뉴욕시에서 추진 중인 관련 개발사례에 대한 진행과정, 다양한 비평, 세부적 내용을 분석함을 통해 국내에 참조가능한 시사점을 도출하고, 나아가 국내 공공주택 공급확대를 위한 다양한 사업방식의 개발에 일조하고자 한다. The purpose of this study is to analyze 3 pilot developments, collectively known as the NYCHA Infill Development, in the Bronx, Brooklyn and NYC, as a case study focusing on the characteristics of the business structure to enhance the public good by ensuring the provision of more affordable housing within the developments. As part of the "Next Generation NYCHA" macroscopic housing policy in NYC, this case is considered to respond to the crisis of affordable housing that reflects the domestic situation. The results of this study may have implications for domestic housing problems. Moreover, it may help to provide diverse methodologies applicable to public housing development.

High Tuberculosis Strain Diversity Among New York City Public Housing Residents.

We sought to better understand tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology among New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents, after a recent TB investigation identified patients who had the same TB strain. The study population included all New York City patients with TB confirmed during 2001 through 2009. Patient address at diagnosis determined NYCHA residence. We calculated TB incidence, reviewed TB strain data, and identified factors associated with TB clustering. During 2001 to 2009, of 8953 individuals in New York City with TB, 512 (6%) had a NYCHA address. Among the US-born, TB incidence among NYCHA residents (6.0/100,000 persons) was twice that among non-NYCHA residents (3.0/100,000 persons). Patients in NYCHA had high TB strain diversity. US birth, younger age, and substance use were associated with TB clustering among NYCHA individuals with TB. High TB strain diversity among residents of NYCHA with TB does not suggest transmission among residents. These findings illustrate that NYCHA's higher TB incidence is likely attributable to its higher concentration of individuals with known TB risk factors.

Reducing Childhood Asthma Triggers in Public Housing: Implementation and Outcomes from an East Harlem Community Health Worker Program

There are significant disparities in asthma prevalence and management in New York City (NYC). Children living in the low income, largely minority neighborhood of East Harlem are almost 13 times more likely to have an asthma related emergency department visit compared to children on the Upper East Side, an adjacent high income neighborhood. The disparities in asthma prevalence and control are in part attributable to environmental conditions, including housing, which in low-income communities is often poorly maintained, resulting in mold, pests, and other asthma triggers. Controlling Asthma through Home Remediation (CAHR), a program of LSA Family Health Service (LSAFHS), offers remediation and repair, training, and comprehensive case management to East Harlem families that have children with severe and/or persistent asthma and live in NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing. Preliminary findings, based on pre-post assessments of 60 CAHR children, include statistically significant reductions in nighttime awakenings, emergency department visits, and rescue medication use. There were reductions in daytime asthma symptoms and improvements in household conditions; however, they were not statistically significant. Recognizing the limited reach of individual level services, LSAFHS also advocates for system-wide changes across NYCHA. Citing the Americans with Disabilities Act and its relevance to individuals with asthma, LSAFHS, in partnership with other community-based organizations and public interest attorneys, reached a settlement with NYCHA in 2013 that resulted in policy changes mandating expedited repairs of leaks, mold, and related issues. Monitoring the impact of these changes is ongoing. A hope is for replication of advocacy efforts in other cities.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Training Program: Perspectives on the Health and Safety of Workers, Volunteers, and Residents Involved in the Cleanup and Rebuilding of New York City Housing Damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy damaged or destroyed 76,000 buildings with over 300,000 housing units; nine percent of the total housing in New York City. Sandy also damaged 405 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings, affecting 35,000 units. Affected residents were forced to move in with family, temporary housing, or endured long periods without heat or electricity, as most building systems were located in flooded basements. Additionally, workers, volunteers, and residents who engaged in cleanup were potentially exposed to raw sewage, mold, asbestos, lead, dust, carbon monoxide, as well as electrocution; slips, trips, and falls; and construction-related safety hazards. Stress and trauma were also significant. These exposures may cause death, disease, and injury. The need to provide protection programs and effective training crosses a number of populations including day laborers, volunteer groups, and residents who are involved in cleanup and rebuilding. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) has provided funding to more than 20 grantees including universities, labor unions, and other organizations to provide effective worker health and safety and disaster preparedness and response training for more than 20 years. This has built a critical infrastructure in the targeted industrial sectors and unions. WTP has also been active in disasters including September 11, Katrina, the Gulf oil spill, and Sandy. Preventing injury and disease in all the groups that are involved in disaster response, cleanup, and rebuilding warrants extending the NIEHS health and safety programs to volunteers, residents, and worker populations who previously have not had access to hazardous materials and related training programs. This can be accomplished by adapting health and safety programs and just-in-time training to the needs and cultures of these groups. These efforts should also further ongoing approaches to empower grantees and end-users so that they can independently build dynamic health and safety and training programs into their disaster preparedness and response work.

Bedbug Complaints among Public Housing Residents—New York City, 2010–2011

Few studies have evaluated population-level risk factors for having a bedbug infestation. We describe characteristics associated with bedbug complaints among New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents. Unique households receiving bedbug extermination services in response to a complaint during January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011 were identified from NYCHA's central facilities work order database. We examined associations between household characteristics and having a bedbug complaint using a generalized estimating equation Poisson regression model, accounting for clustering by housing development. Of the 176,327 NYCHA households, 11,660 (6.6 %) registered a bedbug complaint during 2010-2011. Bedbug complaints were independently associated with households having five or more children versus no children (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.0), five or more adults versus one adult (PR = 1.6), a head of household (HOH) with impaired mobility (PR = 1.3), a household member receiving public assistance (PR = 1.2), a household income below poverty level (PR = 1.1), and a female HOH (PR = 1.1). Infestations were less likely to be reported by households with employed members (PR = 0.9), and an HOH aged 30-44 years (PR = 0.9) or 45-61 years (PR = 0.9), compared with an HOH aged 18-29 years. These results indicate that bedbug control efforts in public housing should be targeted toward households with low income and high occupancy.