Seventeen resident-led public housing sustainability projects, including four in Brooklyn, were awarded funding through the 2025 New York City Housing Authority Resident Climate Action Grant Program on April 19.
The initiative, now in its third year, awards up to $5,000 per project to support public housing residents in developing creative, community-based climate solutions, according to a press release.
Organized by the Public Housing Community Fund in collaboration with NYCHA and The New York Climate Exchange, the program aims to empower NYCHA residents to address environmental issues through practical local interventions.
“This year’s Climate Action Grant recipients reflect the power and creativity that lives within NYCHA communities and how residents choose to respond to the climate crisis," said Alex Zablocki, executive director of the Public Housing Community Fund. "These resident-led projects address the climate crisis not in theory, but in practice, through gardens, education, storytelling, air quality improvements and more.”
In Brooklyn, initiatives include a new garden at Breukelen Houses in Canarsie; a climate storytelling program at Red Hook West; a public awareness campaign on pet waste at Gowanus Houses; and an intergenerational arts and sustainability program at Warren Street Houses that will connect seniors and youth around climate resilience.
NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt emphasized the central role residents play in advancing sustainability efforts across public housing developments.
"NYCHA's greatest asset has always been our residents," she said. "Just like the Authority's commitment to addressing climate change through a variety of programs outlined in the Sustainability Agenda, NYCHA residents are championing the fight against the climate crisis through projects of their own at developments across the five boroughs."
