Jackie Bray is the new Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Image Credit: NYC Mayor’s Office

The Office develops policy to strengthen tenant protections. On April 15, 2019, the Mayor’s Office announced First Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Homeless Services Jackie Bray will serve as Director of the Office to Protect Tenants to address the City’s “anti-harassment initiatives, enhance interagency enforcement and closely engage with tenants and advocates.”

The Office to Protect Tenants seeks to lead policy developments that will strengthen tenant protections, and better target violating buildings and owners. The Office will also serve as a main contact point for tenants and advocacy groups to bring attention to issues, and will coordinate with city agencies, such as Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Department of Buildings, Human Resources Administration, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Law Department, Department of Finance, Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, the Commission on Human Rights, and the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics in addressing various complaints.

Bray served as Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Initiatives at the City’s Department of Social Services as well as a policy adviser at City Hall with a focus on mental health policy and programs. Prior to joining NYC government, Bray served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Chief of Staff at the National Weather Service where her work focused on stabilizing the nations’ weather satellite programs, implementing the Weather Ready Nation vision, and developing climate adaptation policy.

Bray stated, “I’ve spent the past three years working with New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. The more I did this work the more it became clear that securing stable, affordable housing has to be the highest priority for all of us. Rooting out bad landlords and supporting the right of tenants to live free from harassment and displacement cannot be the work of any single individual program or agency. As Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, I will ensure the entire force of City government is coordinated and laser focused on helping New Yorkers stay in their homes and holding bad landlords accountable for abuse.’

Mayor Bill de Blasio stated, “Bad landlords – you’re on notice. As Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, Jackie will be the fighter in the corner of every New Yorker experiencing harassment. She will make existing programs better, and create new strategies to root out abuse.”