— LISC NYC and Public Works Partners Issuing Request for Qualifications from Technical Assistance Providers by March 7, 2022 —
— Support For Public Housing Residents Navigating NYCHA PACT Program —
NEW YORK, NY, February 7, 2022 – LISC NYC and Public Works Partners released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) today to establish a pool of experienced technical assistance providers who can support New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents to plan for the future of their communities as their housing developments receive investment through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. PACT is a critical tool that, through partnerships with private and non-profit development partners, allows NYCHA to not only modernize homes, but also provide enhanced community services and amenities.
Providers who are qualified through the RFQ process will become members of the PACT Resource Team, a group of independent organizations and professional consultants able to provide direct, technical assistance to residents. Applicants may include non-profit and/or community-based organizations, architecture and planning firms, legal aid providers, and other entities based in or outside of New York City.
“PACT Resource Team members will provide NYCHA residents and resident leaders with invaluable support that helps inform, organize and empower their involvement in the PACT planning process,” said Jonathan Gouveia, NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development. “The PACT Resource Team is a great example of the steps the Authority is taking to ensure resident’s voices are centered in the planning for the future of their homes.”
The PACT Resource Team will support residents to have a voice throughout the PACT investment process, including identifying needs and priorities for investment, selecting PACT Partner teams, informing the physical design of developments, planning for new property management, and augmenting social services and economic empowerment resources.
As project lead, Public Works Partners is guiding the selection of PACT Resource Team members who will support NYCHA residents. “The PACT Resource Team represents an historic investment in residents and their homes, one that will enhance services and neighborhoods through deep collaboration with NYCHA families and residents,” Celeste Frye, co-founder and CEO of Public Works Partners, said. “Public Works is excited to launch the next phase of this work—the selection of qualified Resource Team members—alongside community members, our partners, and NYCHA.”
Responsible for contract management, LISC NYC is leading the Request for Qualifications process on behalf of the PACT Resource Team.
“We’re proud to be a part of this exceptional team of partners committed to making sure that the voices and needs of residents are central to this critical program,” said Valerie White, executive director of LISC NYC. “We applaud NYCHA for making these resources available to residents whose developments are receiving investment through PACT.”
“Knowledge is power,” said Chelsea Mauldin, executive director of the Public Policy Lab. “As long-time advocates of participatory design, we are delighted that these advisors will support residents in meaningfully engaging in planning the future of their communities.”
“We are excited to be part of the PACT Resource Team supporting NYCHA residents during the RAD investment process,” said David Burney, director of the Urban Placemaking and Management program at Pratt Institute. “We applaud NYCHA for initiating a vital process to provide direct technical assistance to residents during this transition.”
Providers who submit responses to the Request for Qualifications will be selected for the PACT Resource Team based on their relevant experience and knowledge, track record of services, and capacity to deliver quality services. Applications can be submitted via an online application portal.
LISC NYC encourages applications from non-profits, small business enterprises (SBEs), minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs), and women-owned business enterprises (WBEs).
Information Session
LISC NYC will hold an information session on the PACT Resource Team and how to apply to become a prequalified PACT Resource Team technical assistance provider on Wednesday, February 16th from 11 am to 12 noon. Register here.
Applications must be submitted by March 7, 2022. For a full description of services needed and application materials required, please visit LISC NYC’s webpage here.
Questions can be sent to NYCPACTResourceTeam@lisc.org.
About Public Works Partners
Public Works Partners believes in strategy for good. The WBE/DBE/SBE certified planning & consulting firm, working closely with a network of community-based organizations at the neighborhood, city and state level, captures credible input organically, analyzing and synthesizing findings into actionable data that leads to increased impact. Using a mixed methods approach, Public Works Partners connects with community members where they are to ensure that audiences too often marginalized are heard. The firm’s research and analysis can inform future programs, facilitate strategic planning processes, build stronger teams and streamline organizational operations for greater success. For more information, visit www.publicworkspartners.com.
About LISC NYC
LISC NYC is the flagship New York City office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). LISC NYC supports local partners whose services and programs aim to create a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable New York City. Since 1980, LISC NYC has invested over $3.1 billion and leveraged an additional $7.6 billion in support of low-income communities. LISC NYC’s investment strategy is guided by a belief that the time has come to forge a future for New York City that eradicates the racial wealth gap for good, protects affordable housing, and builds pathways of meaningful economic opportunity for all New Yorkers. For more information, visit www.lisc.org/nyc.
About the Public Policy Lab
The Public Policy Lab is a nonprofit innovation lab for government. Our mission is to create more satisfying and effective public policy and programs with and for the Americans they affect most. To have impact at scale, we partner with government agencies, philanthropies, and NGOs. Together with our partners and the communities they serve, we examine policy goals and public services through the experience of their users. We apply best practices from ethnographic research, human-centered design, rapid prototyping, and behavioral science to improve the lived experience of low-income people here in New York and across the country. For more information, visit www.publicpolicylab.org.
About Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a top-ranked college with opportunities in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, and information studies, Pratt offers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The Institute’s impact expands beyond its 25-acre residential campus in Brooklyn to cutting-edge facilities throughout the borough, a landmark building and public gallery in Manhattan, as well as an extension campus, PrattMWP College of Art and Design in Utica, New York. Since its founding in 1887, Pratt has prioritized diversity and inclusion, welcoming students from all walks of life while developing and sustaining pathways to more equitable workplaces and careers. Today, Pratt and its exceptional faculty pride themselves on being academically excellent as well as adaptable to both in-person and online learning. Pratt students are part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary, research- and inquiry-based education that prepares them for success in creative fields and professional practice, with the goal of contributing to a fairer, more sustainable world. With a long-held commitment to the communities of New York, Pratt partners locally through the Pratt Center for Community Development and through the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment to work for a more just city. For more information, visit www.pratt.edu.
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Public Works Partners is a WBE/DBE-certified urban planning and consulting firm. Our expertise lies in creating innovative, equitable, and sustainable solutions to complex problems.