From the Ground Up | 2021
Affordable housing recommendations for New York City’s next Mayor
Our Mission
A coalition of more than 80 organizations produced a blueprint for housing investment for New York City’s next mayor.
New York City will elect a new mayor in 2021 – it must be a leader capable of steering our city out of the worst health and economic crisis we have seen in decades and towards recovery with a vision of racial equity and prosperity for all New Yorkers. Housing must be at the center of this plan for economic rebirth and social justice.
Housing Need
A Growing Housing Crisis
Outstanding repairs in public housing impact the health and housing of 400,000+ NYCHA residents.
Too many households pay more than ½ their income on rent. This creates housing instability and leaves less money for food, medicine, childcare and emergencies.
Major Recommendations
United in our vision and determination, we call on New York City’s next mayor to launch an affordable housing plan of unprecedented scale and commit to the following:
Invest $4 billion per year to fund a comprehensive affordable housing plan, including:
- A racial equity strategy that starts to reverse centuries of racist housing policies and planning practices in New York City.
- $1.5 billion in annual investment into the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), matched by State funding, intended to fully restore the quality of NYC’s vital public housing stock.
- $2.5 billion in annual investment into affordable housing rental and homeownership opportunities, which would expand housing supply based on need and informed by data.
- $200 million per year in rental assistance matched by New York State.
- A significant reduction to homelessness and an overhaul of inter-agency coordination in order to streamline housing development and preservation, starting in City Hall
Major Recommendations
Adopt United for Housing’s guiding principles to shape NYC’s next housing plan:
- Confront and undo a legacy of systemic racial discrimination in housing.
- Prioritize preservation of public housing in a citywide affordable housing plan.
- Expand affordable housing supply through preservation and development.
- Improve housing affordability for the lowest income New Yorkers.
- Reduce homelessness through coordinated housing and homeless policy.
Detailed Recommendations
In addition, United for Housing developed a set of detailed policy recommendations across the following five issue areas:
of Affordable Housing
Affordable Housing
and Homelessness
Issue One
Public Housing
We call for NYCHA to be at the center of the next housing plan, including $1.5 billion per year in capital, championing the voice of residents in decision-making, and overhauling management and operations
housing stories
United for Housing asked people to share their housing stories and their recommendations for the next mayor. Here are six New Yorkers sharing why housing is important and how it has changed their lives.
What’s your housing advice for NYC’s next mayor? Speak your mind using #U4Housing.
Just post using the hashtag #U4Housing to share your story with us and others as we work together to guide housing policies and more in the 2021 mayoral election.
Our Coalition
We include experts in affordable housing, public housing, homelessness, health, the environment, workforce development, finance, real estate, urban planning, racial justice and criminal justice and more.
