Home for All New Yorkers

Introduction

The affordable housing crisis in New York State is one of the most pressing and complex challenges facing our communities today. Across the state, millions of New Yorkers are struggling to find and keep safe, stable, and affordable homes, with far-reaching impacts on their health, education, employment, and overall well-being. From the sky-high rents and rampant gentrification of New York City to the crumbling infrastructure and limited options of rural and upstate communities, the housing crisis takes many forms and affects all New Yorkers, but it hits low-income communities and communities of color the hardest.

At its core, the affordable housing crisis is a crisis of supply and demand, with a severe shortage of homes that are affordable and accessible to those with the greatest needs. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (2021), New York State has a deficit of over 615,000 rental homes that are affordable and available to extremely low-income households, defined as those earning less than 30% of the area median income. This means that for every 100 of these households, there are only 37 affordable and available rental homes. The picture is not much better for other low-income groups, with deficits of over 500,000 homes for very low-income households (those earning less than 50% of AMI) and over 350,000 homes for low-income households (those earning less than 80% of AMI) (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2021).

But the affordable housing crisis is about more than just the numbers. It is about the human toll of housing insecurity and instability, the stress and trauma of facing eviction or foreclosure, the health impacts of living in substandard or overcrowded conditions, the lost opportunities and life chances of not having a stable foundation (Desmond, 2016; Hartman & Robinson, 2003). It is about the disproportionate burdens borne by women, children, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities, who face additional barriers and vulnerabilities in the housing market (Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2020). And it is about the ongoing legacies of racism, segregation, and disinvestment that have shaped our housing policies and practices for generations, and continue to perpetuate inequities and injustices today (Rothstein, 2017; Massey & Denton, 1993).

At the same time, the affordable housing crisis is also a crisis of political will and imagination. For too long, our housing policies have been driven by a market-based, profit-driven approach that prioritizes the interests of developers, landlords, and investors over the needs of everyday New Yorkers (Stein, 2019; Aalbers, 2016). We have treated housing as a commodity to be bought and sold, rather than a basic human right and a public good. We have relied on band-aid solutions and piecemeal programs, rather than a comprehensive and transformative vision for housing justice and equity (Marcuse, 2009). And we have failed to reckon with the root causes and systemic drivers of our housing crisis, from the racist policies of redlining and exclusionary zoning to the predatory practices of the real estate industry and the financial sector (Immergluck, 2015).

But as dire as the situation may seem, there is also reason for hope and inspiration. Across New York State, tenants, advocates, organizers, and policymakers are coming together to fight for bold and innovative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, and to build a movement for housing justice and equity that is grounded in the leadership and vision of those most impacted (Thurber & Fraser, 2016; Fields, 2015). From the historic rent laws passed in 2019 to the growing momentum for social housing and community land trusts, from the campaigns for universal rent control and a homes guarantee to the struggles against gentrification and displacement, New Yorkers are charting a new path forward for affordable housing that puts people and communities first (Mironova, 2019; Barber, 2021).

This book is an effort to document and analyze these promising solutions and strategies, and to offer a framework for understanding and addressing the complex and intersecting challenges of affordable housing in New York State. Drawing on a wide range of data, research, and stories from across the state, it explores the historical and policy context of our current crisis, the regional variations and challenges of different housing markets, the specific needs and opportunities for renters and homeowners, and the broader movements and campaigns for housing justice and equity.

At its core, this book is a call to action and a testament to the power of collective struggle and vision. It is a reminder that housing is not just a roof over our heads, but a foundation for our health, our dignity, and our dreams. And it is an invitation to all those who believe in a New York where everyone has a place to call home, to join together in the hard and necessary work of building a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all.

Let us rise to this challenge with courage, compassion, and conviction, and let us never lose sight of the fierce urgency and fierce hope of this moment. Together, we can build a New York that lives up to its highest ideals and aspirations, a New York that is truly a beacon of opportunity and justice for all.