A new proposal put forward by NYCHA CEO Greg Russ would create a “Public Housing Preservation Trust” and use federal money to fix apartments and keep residents in their homes. The proposal comes at a time of crisis for NYC housing, with the economic fallout of the state-mandated COVID-19 shutdown having left a wide swath of New Yorkers vulnerable to eviction.

The move would convert 175,000 apartments from Section 9, traditional public housing funding, to Section 8, and create a federal voucher system that would raise capital for badly needed repairs, reports Pix 11.

“The one good thing is it’s public. It doesn’t mean we are not concerned. We are cautiously optimistic,” said Lucy Newman, a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society.