Increasing land values and speculation encourage harassment and displacement of residents and small businesses in New York City’s neighborhoods. The acceleration of residential and commercial markets leads landlords to harass tenants in order to drive out existing families and businesses as a route to higher profits. Additionally, behind these landlords is often an investment fund or bank lender who has overleveraged the building with financing that encourages this behavior.
The harassment and displacement activity we are seeing across all five boroughs undermines affordability, fuels gentrification, and exacerbates existing inequality. Low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, people of color, immigrants, and other marginalized populations deserve the right to remain in the homes and communities they have built, instead of facing predatory practices that displace them.
ANHD builds community power in order to create better laws and policies, protect tenants’ rights, and strengthen neighborhoods.
Our multi-dimensional campaigns seek to prevent displacement and harassment by addressing its root causes—in laws, lending practices, and administrative enforcement. For example, we are tackling speculative lending and predatory equity by using sophisticated building finance and market research to identify the most at-risk buildings, and working with our network of organizing groups to proactively support at-risk tenants. We are also advocating for stronger tenant protections.
Check out the associated projects below for more information on how we are fighting to end displacement.