Fighting for Affordable Housing

About

About

New Yorkers are increasingly unable to afford to live in their own city. As rents and housing prices rise, our neighborhoods are becoming more segregated, homelessness continues to rise, and people are being pushed out of their communities. There is a significant lack of deep and permanently affordable housing opportunities developed for lower income new Yorkers, and particularly for the nearly 30% of households considered extremely low income. We are all in danger of losing the diverse city we love. 

Why This Matters

While the government acknowledges the affordable housing crisis, local policies and programs too often continue to serve the needs of private developers and the private market over the actual needs of New Yorkers, especially, our lowest income families. Additionally, as we have learned from the current expiring use crisis—we cannot afford to keep losing the affordable housing we develop and preserve; public investment in affordable housing should permanently serve the public interest.

What We're Doing

ANHD is fighting to create fair and affordable housing throughout New York City that prioritizes those most in need and least served by the private market.

We believe New York’s affordable housing policies and investments must be driven by the needs of our people, and not by the real estate industry or private developers. Our work attempts to shift housing resources and policies to focus on the lowest income New Yorkers. 

ANHD’s goal is for all affordable housing developed with public resources to be permanently affordable, avoiding the current time-limited affordability requirements that have left the city scrambling to preserve subsidized housing created in earlier eras with public dollars. We also want deep affordability, which ensures those at the lowest end of the income spectrum have housing opportunities in our city.

Check out the associated projects below for more information on how we are fighting for affordable housing.  

Projects

421a Real Estate Developer Exemption
Housing Risk Chart
Mandatory Inclusionary Housing
Public Land
Rezoning Technical Assistance
News

Recent Blogs and Media

News Clip
June 17, 2022
The Bronx Social Justice & Anti-Violence Forums
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Emily Goldstein
News Clip
June 16, 2022
Adams Outlines Long-Awaited Plan To Tackle NYC’s Housing Crisis
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ANHD
Blog
June 15, 2022
Mayor Eric Adams' Housing Our Neighbors
ANHD’s Response to Mayor Eric Adams’ Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness
We are thrilled that after years of ANHD-led advocacy, the Adams Administration has finally moved New York City away from the problematic affordable housing unit count goals of past housing plans. That metric led to a focus on so-called affordable housing solutions that simply chased after numbers instead of prioritizing the needs of struggling New Yorkers. Instead, we should be focusing on the outcomes our communities need – outcomes like ending homelessness, preventing displacement, eliminating rent burdens, and ensuring safe, healthy housing for all. In order to accomplish those goals, we need to look holistically at the full housing landscape in NYC, and we applaud the Administration for incorporating the full spectrum of housing, from homelessness to NYCHA to tenant protections to homeownership in the Housing Our Neighbors blueprint.
Read More »
Lucy Block, Emily Goldstein, Chris Walters, Will Depoo, Barika Williams
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Resources

Related Resources

A New Era of NYC Affordable Housing Policy? Analyzing the Mayor's Housing Plan
A five part blog series analyzing Housing New York, the Mayor’s new ten-year plan for affordable housing development, chapter-by-chapter.
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How Many Units Could Be Created Under Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning?
An analysis of the potential impact of replacing the City's Voluntary Inclusionary Zoning policy with a new Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning Policy
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What has Inclusionary Zoning meant for Brooklyn Community Board 7?
An analysis of prior losses, and potential gains of affordable housing for Brooklyn’s CB 7.
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What has Inclusionary Zoning meant for Queens Community Board 1?
An analysis of prior losses, and potential gains of affordable housing for Queen’s CB 1.
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What has Inclusionary Zoning meant for MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 11?
An analysis of prior losses, and potential gains of affordable housing for Manhattan’s CB 11.
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Inclusionary Zoning: Lost Opportunities for Affordable Housing
An in-depth analysis of the opportunity of Mandatory Inclusinary Housing, and what has been lost in the current Voluntary Inclusionary Housing policy.
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How Much Did the Real Estate Industry Benefit in the Bloomberg Years?
A breakdown of the benefits received by the real estate industry and their corresponding affordable units produced in rezoned areas
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Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning: Ensuring Affordability is a part of New York City’s Future
A recommendation for a Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning policy requiring affordable housing as an essential public good.
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Real Affordability: An Evalution of the Bloomberg Housing Program and Recommendations to Strengthen Affordable Housing Policy
An in-depth, city-wide evaluation of the Mayor Bloomberg's New Housing Marketplace affordable housing program, evaluating the actual affordability benefit created compared to the local and city-wide need.
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