The Events of 2020 Mean We Demand More from Where We Live NYC

On October 20th, the de Blasio Administration released its final draft of the Where We Live NYC Plan, the City's plan to affirmatively further fair housing. Despite its acknowledgement of the roots and depth of racial inequity in our city - and its thorough and detailed analysis supporting that case - the report represents a missed opportunity and a failed commitment towards creating a more inclusive, comprehensive, and affirmative fair housing plan.

When the draft plan was first released in January of this year, ANHD called for bolder actions, noting that it wasn't enough to commit to further "exploration" or analysis, to task forces or reports - to essentially tweaks - when what was needed was concrete, actionable, sizeable commitments targeted towards transformational change. The events of 2020 - from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Movement for Black Lives - have only made that need more pressing. Yet the City’s report does not reflect this crucial moment. Its recommendations do not go nearly far enough to address the problems it names, while even those with the most promise seem divorced from any true plan or commitment to make them real. This is all the more egregious in light of the disparities the COVID pandemic has laid bare, the mobilization of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the fierce urgency of action they rightfully demand.

We are especially disappointed given the quality and depth of analysis provided by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD); their analysis is important work which should serve as the foundation for broader and more transformational change. It’s unfortunate that the de Blasio administration is unwilling to make that commitment and do all it can in its remaining year to enact meaningful reforms. The time for delaying is long past. This is the work ANHD and our members, partners, and allies are here to do. And we're here to do it now.