From NYCHA to social housing, history shows us how to build a more equitable New York City.

Dear New Yorkers

Housing production across the country, and especially here in New York City, has failed to live up to demand. As city and state leaders work to confront that challenge, we need to talk about what kind of housing we build.

NYC housing production has remained largely consistent ([link removed]) since the 1930s, with the notable exception of the post-WW2 era from the 1940s to the 1970s. That's because nearly all of New York’s 175,000 public housing units were built during this time.

In the 1970s, as the economy faltered and the federal government turned away from funding public housing, nonprofit community-development corporations were born to bring their neighborhoods back from abandonment, from Los Sures on the Southside in Brooklyn to Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement. So it would stand to reason it's a proven model we should try to emulate.

That’s where social housing comes in.

Social housing is permanently affordable housing, removed from the speculative marketplace, with mechanisms for democratic governance. It is an umbrella term, that includes Mitchell-Lama and other shared-equity co-ops, not for profit rentals, supportive housing, public housing, and community land trusts.

New York City has a long history with social housing. During the Koch and Dinkins Administrations, the City invested strongly in social housing. In that era, about one-third of our affordable housing land and subsidies went to for-profit developers, one-third to nonprofit developers, and one-third to tenants themselves to become shared equity cooperatives. Unfortunately, in the Giuliani, Bloomberg, and de Blasio years, the pendulum swung to for-profit, private developers, who now receive about 80% of the City’s land and affordable housing subsidy dollars.

It’s time to reverse those trends.

This past week my office took part in the launch of two very important projects, both aimed at preserving and expanding the City’s social housing stock.

On Wednesday, I joined residents of New York City Housing Authority developments to announce two audits selected by our NYCHA resident audit committee ([link removed]) . Through listening sessions and a survey over the summer and fall, it became clear that problems with the timeliness and quality of repair work was the number one complaint among residents. Additionally, the uncertainty around the impact of the RAD/PACT program on rents and eviction rates for existing tenants is a common theme. Following the guidance of the resident committee, our Bureau of Audit will review both NYCHA’s repair process and the eviction rates at RAD/PACT developments.

As NYCHA resident and audit committee member Aixa Torres put it, “the residents of NYCHA need answers to these critical quality of life issues that are depressing reminders of the struggles we face, including disproportionate rates of illnesses. The audits we have selected are important steps to finding solutions to these problems.” You can watch me and Miss Torres discuss the two audits on PIX11 below.
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The following day, our office joined forces ([link removed]) with the Public Advocate, multiple Council Members, NYC Community Land Initiative, Housing Justice For All, advocates, and non-profit affordable housing developers to support seven transformative bills heard by the Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee that would pave the way for the expansion of social housing in New York City.

Int. 0714 sponsored by Council Member Gale Brewer would establish a New York City Land Bank, which could acquire under-utilized land and property, rehabilitate and transfer it to Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and non-profit organizations. The Public Disposition bill sponsored by Council Member Lincoln Restler ensures that public land is prioritized for non-profit developers and CLTs, and the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera gives qualified entities a first opportunity to purchase certain residential buildings when offered for sale.

The hearing also included a social housing development agency feasibility report by Council Member Sandy Nurse and three resolutions in support of state legislation to strengthen tenant protections and increase social housing options in New York City. I look forward to working with the bill sponsors, other members of the City Council, and housing organizers and advocates to pass these important pieces of legislation and make this vision a reality.

You can read my full testimony from the Council Hearing here ([link removed]) and watch the press conference and rally in its entirety below.
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The unaffordability of housing represents a real threat to NYC’s economic growth. The lack of affordable housing for workers in New York City, across the income spectrum, also poses a challenge to growing businesses here.

History has shown us what works and what hasn’t, the future will depend on what we do next.

Onwards,

Brad

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