“These are the true leaders of our community. These leaders, most of which are women, are truly our eyes and ears on the ground. If there is a major event such as an outage of heat, mold outbreak, or a resident who needs a simple repair, they know how to find me and my staff at all hours of the night. Time and time again during the holidays or the hottest day in July, they truly put their residents first,” Savino said.

The tenant leaders were quick to reciprocate the compliment. “Diane Savino and her staff are some of the most accessible people we work with in the city. They’re part of our family,” Betty James of the Marlboro Houses stated.

Savino’s senate district includes 20 large-scale housing facilities, including many senior citizen apartment buildings.   

“I have thousands of NYCHA residents across two boroughs. We have invested hundreds of millions over the past few years with improvements and to help rebuild after Hurricane Sandy, but there is much more work to be done,” Savino stated. 

The work done by the tenant advocates is vital, according to Savino. “Without the guidance of these leaders, we could never know all of the plights faced by our neighbors,” she said.

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