Amid New York City’s ongoing homelessness crisis, the length of time it takes NYCHA to rent out available apartments has more than doubled over the last five years. At the same time, the number of people moving from Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters into public housing has plummeted.
“It’s time to acknowledge that NYCHA residents are an integral part of the city. Like other tenants, they should be entitled to full access to the city’s code enforcement system,” said one housing policy analyst calling for NYCHA tenants to have access to city building inspectors.
From June to December 2021, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), which took over street vendor inspection and enforcement duties in 2021, issued 762 fines, and another 171 fines so far this year. The top five zip codes that saw the most enforcement were those with large immigrant populations.
The effectiveness of New York’s plastic bag ban could serve as a portend for other, similar bans on single-use plastics either already approved or under discussion at both the city and state legislative levels. To get a better sense of how its implementation is going, City Limits’ CLARIFY interns spoke to more than 50 bodega owners and store workers in the outer boroughs to see if they’re still using plastic, and if so, to tell us why.
“This comes down to the inefficiencies of government,” said Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who represents Brooklyn’s 35th District. “We need to create systems that work for people, not against them.”
“What we need to do is to ensure that, no matter how much money you’re making, you can access a free attorney if you’re at risk of eviction,” North Brooklyn Councilmember Lincoln Restler said during an appearance on WBAI’s City Watch Sunday.
The project would create about 664 housing units, two commercial towers and a new park in place of vehicle lots and low-rise buildings in an area that city officials have been eyeing for years for potential economic and real estate development.
Home prices in the predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood began to tick up before then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to rezone 190 blocks in 2014. But affordable housing advocates and local residents say the rezoning, approved in 2016, only drove more speculators to scoop up homes, jack up prices and push out existing residents.
Since July 1, the city has paid CORE nearly $3 million to operate five shelters that provide two-year stays for young people experiencing homelessness. The troubled nonprofit operates 99 beds for teens and young adults in Brooklyn and The Bronx.
‘This plan did not start in a developer’s office, or at City Hall. It started through community planning, a series of public conversations that generated core principles for what inclusive, sustainable growth in the neighborhood would require.’
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