New York City public housing advocates have feared privatization and pushouts for years, especially when it comes to developers making repairs to apartments through public-private partnerships with the city.
Still, there’s a hope that smaller, minority-owned companies will make the much-needed improvements to New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) infrastructure with respect to its majority Black and Brown residents.
As part of such efforts, NYCHA’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT)/Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program chose Dantes Partners, founded by Buwa Binitie, to repair and renovate developments in Harlem, Washington Heights, and Sugar Hill in 2023. Dantes Partners is an affordable housing developer based in Washington, D.C. Their contract included three buildings along Amsterdam Avenue—Audubon Houses, Bethune Gardens, and Marshall Plaza—with nearly 900 families and seniors in 557 units altogether.
Dantes Partners was joined by the minority-owned firm Apex Building Group.
A large portion of the residents who live in these developments only speak Spanish, so Dantes Partners employed a bilingual tenant liaison to help residents with the process of having massive renovations done in their homes.
“I’m a very helpful person. I wanted to help facilitate communication naturally. I’m all about solutions,” said native Harlemite Robert Sosa, 30, about becoming a liaison. He has lived in Audubon Houses for over 25 years.
It was usual for him to translate for residents already frustrated with a leaky sink or a similar issue, keeping in mind the technicalities of a language barrier, said Sosa. He’s gotten opportunities to connect with his neighbors and build trust with them throughout this process.
“It’s a lot to handle. They’re depending on me,” said Sosa. “That’s really the only thing: making sure I keep my word. It’s not about me; it’s about the whole picture. I make sure I push, push, push what I have to push to make sure that their concerns are met.”
The project put more than $166 million into building restoration, heat and hot water, elevators, apartment renovations, safety enhancements, increased lighting, improved security, energy-efficient windows, new trash compactors, and landscaping.
Corey Powell, chief operating officer for Dantes Partners, began his career as a young Black architect before making the shift to equitable real estate development at Dantes. “The work we do: hyper-meaningful—providing housing for families, individuals, seniors; and just to hear some of the stories and communicate directly with residents or hear from our property management staff,” said Powell.
In 2020, NYCHA issued a proposal request specifically for small developers, he said. Dantes was selected, opened a satellite office in New York, and hired local staff to start working on rehabbing developments by 2023. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though, since real-estate is a predominantly white-led space.
“So far, from our experience in New York City with NYCHA, I feel there’s a level of parity there,” said Powell about what it’s like to be part of a minority-owned development company. “It’s not always the same. Sometimes it’s direct, sometimes it’s indirect—being questioned four times in different ways because someone may question our expertise.”
Despite those challenges, the company has remained committed to the vision of improving affordable housing for Black and Brown residents in the city.
“It’s frustrating,” said Powell. “They threw an awful lot at us, but the company is at a cycle where we can push back now. We’ve been able to achieve everything and grow while getting those questions, so now, when those things come up, we can shut them down more easily.”
They aim to complete all renovations by 2025, he said.