Through the Citywide Merchant Organizing Project ANHD and seven community partners are working across neighborhoods to coordinate merchant organizing efforts along commercial corridors in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods that are also home to communities of color and immigrants.

ANHD is providing tools, resources, and technical assistance to support merchant organizing in these neighborhoods.We've worked with organizers and merchant leaders to co-design a survey that helps us gather quantitative and qualitative data about how New York City’s small businesses have been impacted by rising commercial rents related to speculation and gentrification. The survey assesses challenges related to rent burden, lease negotiation, and landlord harassment among small businesses. The information collected will inform both merchant engagement and future ANHD advocacy that our partners will undertake to combat small business displacement and the lack of affordable commercial spaces.