Housing and Homelessness
New York City Housing Calendar, July 13-20
Jeanmarie Evelly |
City Limits rounds up the latest housing-related events and upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
2022 primary
Uneven Distribution of Language Interpreters on Slow NYC Primary Day
Daniel Parra |
Spanish translators were missing at two Queens polling places that City Limits visited Tuesday morning, while interpreters for other languages said they had interacted with very few voters.
Affordable Housing
Queens Community Board Rejects 5-Block Rezoning Plan Over Affordability Concerns
David Brand |
The vote marks the first major milestone in the city land use process for the proposed $2 billion project, known as “Innovation QNS,” which would erect at least a dozen towers containing offices, retail space and 2,845 apartments.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Which NY Communities Are Most Susceptible to Climate Change Harms? Weigh In By Aug. 5
Natalie Bump Vena |
“New Yorkers now have the opportunity—and responsibility—to help the state move toward true climate justice by submitting input on how to allocate $300 billion for “disadvantaged communities.” Public participation has so far been abysmal: Only four people testified at New York City’s earlier in-person hearing. But it’s not too late: The comment period is open until July 7.”
Housing and Homelessness
After a Year of Missed Opportunity, New York Revises Sputtering Hotel-to-Housing Plan
David Brand |
When COVID-19 hit, policymakers saw an opportunity: The city had interconnected affordable housing and homelessness crises; the city also had hundreds of empty hotels hemorrhaging cash. But a year after the state passed a law funding the conversion of hotels to affordable housing, not a single one has happened. The experience of the Paramount Hotel on West 46th Street illustrates why.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Forget 421a—New York Needs Radical Reform to Solve Housing Crisis
John Choe and Marty Rowland |
” We propose a new hybrid financing model that would combine a land value tax (LVT) and community land trusts (CLTs) to address New York’s changing fiscal environment as well as the housing needs of working families.”
Mapping the Future
17 Units Here. 8,555 There. See Where NYC Builds Its Affordable Housing
David Brand |
The 17th council district in The Bronx saw 8,550 new affordable units built since 2014, while district 23 in Queens saw just 17. Those dramatic production disparities are fueling New York City’s affordable housing crunch, experts say.
City on the Edge: Climate Change and New York
New York’s $27 Million Ida Relief Fund for Immigrants Closes, Disbursing Less Than $2 Million
Daniel Parra |
Cash assistance has been dispersed to 288 households so far, for a total of $1,601,210: 345 applications have been finalized and 201 are still being processed. Stakeholders say it’s unlikely the fund will open again to applicants.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: NY Should Approve Champlain Hudson Project, Because Frontline Communities Need Clean Air
Mitchell G. Taylor |
“COVID-19 was a wake-up call. The phrase ‘underlying health condition’ was a trigger to all Queensbridge/Ravenswood residents, who knowingly live where air quality is poor, and suffer disproportionately from asthma due to the ‘Big Allis’ smoke stack.”
Housing and Homelessness
In NYC, the Long Road From Shelter to Public Housing Gets Longer
David Brand |
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.
