Taking on the NYC Projects: The city finally takes public housing reform seriously

In other words, using federal Hope VI funds, Kelly was able to accomplish something that’s only been tried in the most tentative way in New York. He knows it can be done because he did it, says Jerilyn Perine, a former city housing commissioner who is now executive director of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council. “The future of public resources is a shrinking one,” she warns. “It doesn’t matter who’s president, and doesn’t matter what the policy experts say, government is going to have ever less money to devote to this housing stock in the future.”