For years, residents of New York City’s troubled public housing system have dealt with a host of issues that ranged from inconvenient to deadly. Peeling lead paint, rampant mold, no heat in the winter, broken elevators, and infestations of pests created indecent, unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

That’s about to change, according to U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York. A settlement agreement between the New York City Housing Authority and federal prosecutors is set to see $4 billion in fusion of local, state and federal funds in the coming years, to be overseen by a federally installed monitor empowered to make long-term, substantive changes.