Housing

Our rentaL market is the most expensive in America — and the consequences are cLear.

  • Rising prices have left unprecedented numbers of New Yorkers struggling to stay housed, sleeping in city shelters, on the street, or leaving the five boroughs for good — displacement that’s hit BIPOC New Yorkers hardest. Those pushed out of the city lose access to good jobs — and increase car usage that drives up carbon emissions.

  • Lack of abundant housing forces New Yorkers into overcrowded homes or shelters, leading to worse health outcomes.

  • When Afghan refugees sought safety in the U.S. last year, the State Department excluded NYC from its list of safe harbors due to unaffordability.

We cannot say “Housing is a human right,” “Refugees are weLcome here,” or “CLimate change is reaL” if we don’t aLso address our housing crisis.

the causes are cLear, as weLL.

  • New York has stopped building enough new housing, with competition for fewer units driving prices sky-high.

  • This supply slowdown is segregated. Wealthier, whiter areas are not contributing new housing to the city supply— with unit numbers in some neighborhoods even declining due to apartment combinations.

  • Lack of affordable and public housing means renters struggle to access financial assistance and legal protections within the private rental market.

the soLutions are right in front of us.

We must increase housing suppLy — designating as many units as possibLe for permanent affordabiLity, especiaLLy in high-transit and opportunity-rich areas. We must:

  • Rezone high-transit, opportunity-rich areas to legalize new housing, so all areas contribute their fair share—with maximal affordable units set aside as a condition of construction.

  • Pursue all opportunities for new 100% affordable housing and investments in preserving public housing.

  • Convert unused hotel rooms and office space to housing, and legalize ADUs like basement and garage apartments — bringing them into a regime of safety standards and inspections.

We must empower renters:

  • Build on the successful implementation of Good Cause Eviction in municipalities like Albany and Poughkeepsie with passage statewide.

  • Build on the raised value of Family Homelessness & Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) with the passage of the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) to ensure full availability of financial assistance.

  • Pass statewide Right to Counsel while strengthening enforcement of source of income protections and education of tenants about their rights.

We must end our faiLed reLiance on sheLters in response to homeLessness:

  • Hold the Governor to her commitment to build or preserve 10,000 supportive housing units over five years.

  • Provide single-room occupancy hotel rooms to New Yorkers needing a safe place to sleep rather than less private, less safe congregate shelters.

  • End police sweeps and invest instead in providing services and paths to housing.

new York’s housing crisis is overwheLming — but it is addressabLe.

If we are bold enough, we can finally turn the tide on rising prices and the insecurity, displacement, homelessness, segregation, and climate consequences that come with them.