Princeton Housing Authority Residents Ask Council For Action on Cooperation Agreement with Town
To the Editor:
As residents of the Princeton Housing Authority (PHA), we are frustrated with lack of action on our behalf. The PHA and town discovered the need to update their Cooperation Agreement 19 months ago and though Council put this on its 2024 Goals list, Council took no steps toward this in 2024. The PHA needs to resolve a number of issues with the town in order to make decisions that affect us.
We understand that, after a 2023 situation in which PHA management did not receive notification before the town reintroduced parking permit enforcement following the pandemic pause, the PHA reached out to their Council liaison, Councilman Newlin, and asked for a meeting to discuss the parking ordinance with the town. At that June 1, 2023 meeting we’re told the discussion of the issues and difficulty with the ordinance made it clear a “quicker” solution was needed and Councilwoman Pirone Lambros suggested it would be more expedient to address the situation through the PHA’s Cooperation Agreement with the town.
We learned of the PHA’s need to negotiate an up-to-date Cooperation Agreement with Council shortly thereafter. When we’ve asked about those discussions seeking to learn how the PHA will address concerns here we’ve been disappointed to learn Council still hasn’t responded to the PHA. We’re in limbo. The PHA can’t provide answers without knowing what the Agreement will include.
Upon reviewing the existing Cooperation Agreement, PHA found the town is not providing all the services they are required to under this contract. For example, Redding Circle, which provides access to a NJ Transit bus line, is not being plowed by the town as is required for public roads. The PHA has been bearing this cost for years. We’re told when the PHA brought this to the town’s attention they got a “bygones” response. The PHA is the housing provider least able to bear this cost and “bygones” for what is clearly the town’s oversight is not a solution the PHA can afford.
Out of frustration, two of us attended a September Council meeting to express our disappointment with the inattention to this situation. We hoped that our coming as residents might encourage Council to start working with the PHA on this Agreement. It was wonderful that the town’s engineering department reached out quickly about the one example issue that we raised, but we need the Council to participate as well. We’re left to wonder: are we simply individuals and families whose needs the town doesn’t care about? Are the needs of those with less to contribute worthy of attention? We believe all residents deserve our governing body’s support and as such, we urge Town Council to take this up this month. As negotiating this Agreement will take time, we find any further delay getting started unacceptable.
Council, please begin work on the PHA’s Cooperation Agreement immediately.