Housing Authority computer glitch affecting low-income New Yorkers

The technology glitches that arose from the New York City Housing Authority’s installation of a new $36 million computer system are delaying the receipt of paperwork critical to low-income New Yorkers’ housing search. The Daily News reported that the computer system, installed in Februray to help centralize a database of tenants applying for federal Section 8 housing, is preventing low-income New Yorkers from receiving their “move-in letters,” the last step in the approval process to earning federal funding for their rent. Housing Authority spokesperson Sheila Stainback said the computer system is now “fully operational” but that the city is “aware of the issues, which were expected in a huge implementation such as this.” Meanwhile, some New Yorkers who expected to move in to housing under the program, have waited more than three months for their homes, and fear they’ll lose the home they applied for in the meantime. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said he’s heard from 20 New Yorkers who have been in housing limbo for months thanks to the glitch.[NYDN]