New York, NY —

The cash-strapped New York City Housing Authority plans to transfer its social service programs to four city agencies. The first phase is supposed to save NYCHA roughly $20 million. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez has more.

The move means 18 community centers will be closed within two months and 200 social service workers will get laid off. The lost programs will be replaced over time by agencies such as the Human Resources Administration and some residents worry that could make it harder to access them.

NYCHA says the new programs might be at the same sites or in other locations. The authority says transferring the programs to other agencies will allow them to concentrate on being property managers, and the savings can go towards things such as elevator upgrades.

City officials say they can run the programs cheaper than NYCHA can, because agencies benefit from economies of scale, and have access to a broader range of federal funds. They could not say how much it will cost the city to run them.

NYCHA also plans to transfer all its Seniors Centers to the Department for the Aging which would save the Housing Authority about $29 million a year.