In a major step towards addressing New York City’s housing shortage the NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises and Committee on Land Use voted to advance five rezoning proposals on October 6. Four passed unanimously, while the Sojourner Truth–Mapes project was the only one to receive a single negative vote. The approved plans could pave the way for over 1,500 new apartments across Brooklyn, Bronx, and the Queens including hundreds of permanently affordable homes. 

The proposals would create approximately 292 apartments at Fort Hamilton Mews in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, including up to 88 permanently affordable units. While 391 apartments are planned along Park Avenue in Brooklyn, including up to 101 affordable units. At 289 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn 270 apartments with up to 83 affordable units. In Brox at the Sojourner Truth–Mapes development the proposed layout that would allow for a 100% affordable building with 457 income restricted apartments. 6967 108th Street in Queens could get 59 new apartments and 18 affordable units.

The NYC Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises approved the five proposals earlier in the day at 11am, with modifications to several of them, before they advanced to the Committee on Land Use. The City Council’s zoning subcommittee recently changed four out of five neighborhood building proposals to ensure they fit local needs and offer cheaper rent. 

For the Fort Hamilton Mews project in Brooklyn, the committee shrank the building’s allowed height from 9–14 stories down to 8–11 stories so it wouldn’t tower over the block. It would use the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing for the four proposals to guarantee lower rents that match local salaries of the community. With the modifications the subcommittee’s initial vote was unanimous on four projects. 

The Sojourner Truth–Mapes was the only rezoning development to receive a dissenting vote from Council Member Justin Sanchez. Although Council Member Amanda Farías voted in favor, she also voiced concerns about the Sojourner Truth-Mapes negotiations “I want to recognize that the community board and local union have deep concerns about the negotiation and deal made. Those perspectives deserve to be heard and respected.” 

Other council members raised concerns about how they struggled to negotiate with local officials over rezonings. Council member David Carr, representative of District 50, said he was troubled by what he described as the Council’s “increasingly limited options.” He ultimately voted in the positive for the proposal, and said, “with great frustration I vote yes on the Fort Hamilton Mews project and I vote yes on the others.”  

Council Member Lynn Schulman echoed his frustration, warning constituents that the Council is increasingly “excluded from certain projects to have any input on so I just want folks to be aware of that so that we’re trying to negotiate as much as we can but it’s going to be less and less.”

After being approved it went on to the committee of land use where it was also approved and now it heads to its final vote which if passed by the full 51 members of the NYC Council, it will move to the Mayor’s desk to be signed and passed.

“The five scariest words in the English language are, ‘Your ConEd bill is ready!’” Said Chi Ossé,  the City Councilmember representing Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights at New York’s  first ever Utility Ripoff hearing in Bedford-Stuyvesant on October 6th.  

Public Power NY is a statewide, grassroots movement of New Yorkers who aspire to take their  power back from corporate control. They sponsored the hearing, which was held at Herbert Von  King Park’s amphitheatre, with over 70 attendees. Representatives claimed that New York’s energy  system is leaving residents with exorbitant bills, amid angry accusations of a higher amount every  year.  

ConEdison, a major energy company that provides electricity, natural gas, and steam to about 10  million people, and is the main energy provider in NYC, has users complaining of feeling ‘ripped off’ while paying thousands of dollars for a service that is irregular and unreliable. To address this  

“crisis”, Public Power NY hosted a public hearing, inviting New Yorkers to share their “utility  horror stories” with ConEdison and describe the environmental impact that investor owned  energy providers have. 

Josh Karen, a Brooklyn College alum who works closely with Public Power explained that the goal  for this event was to bring the community together to share their experiences, and explain how  the inflated bills are going into the pockets of corporate subsidies while New Yorkers suffer  through black outs and power outages during extreme weather.  

“Our utilities are out of control, we are being ripped off, and our wallets feel it.” said Ossé. He  commented on communities in Bed-Stuy and Flatbush that went without electricity in 30 degree  weather last winter. “ConEd was unresponsive, and there were no refunds provided for the hours  spent in black out.”  

Jeremy, who did not provide a last name, is a resident of East Queens who reported having to go  on a payment plan to pay off his $3,100 ConEd bill, while ConEd CEO Tim Cawley received a 5  million dollar raise this fiscal year. He also spoke about individuals on life-sustaining medical  technology such as ventilators and dialysis machines potentially losing their life due to power cuts  “There is zero accountability being taken, this is a broken system.”  

Assembly member Sarahana Shreshtha, representing the Hudson Valley district of New York,  explained that companies like ConEd are a “natural monopoly” that have no competition.  Shreshtha reported that ConEd’s return on equity rate rose from 9.25% to 9.5% this fiscal year,  which raised their profits by 113 million dollars. ConEd’s proposed rate, however, was 10.1%,  which would have raised their profit margin by a whopping 190 million dollars. Shreshtha called  investor-owned utilities a “scam,” before introducing her Hudson Valley Power Authority Act Bill,  which proposes to dissolve and replace the privately owned Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp  with a public, nonprofit, democratically governed power authority. She described her bill as being  “designed for the profit of people, not shareholders.”  

Emily Gallagher, the New York State representative for Greenpoint and Williamsburg, shared that  Greenpoint is “the most environmentally compromised region in the United States due to the oil  industry.” Newtown Creek, an estuary off the East River has been storing liquified gas for Long  Island for over 100 years. State representatives claimed that holding oil companies responsible for  cleaning up the mess they leave behind only results in them declaring bankruptcy to avoid fines  and clean-up costs. “The planet is burning,” said Gallagher, “we are struggling to stay housed  and clothed and warm. It is not enough to be upset. You should be enraged.”  

In a statement quoted by Pix11, ConEd defended their practices by stating, “We’ve provided  more than $500 million in discounts to income‑eligible customers over the past two years,  expanded our energy affordability programs, and continued offering flexible payment options to  ease the burden.” A spokesperson added that the company is investing in the grid to maintain  reliable service and build clean energy systems.  

Faroud, a resident of Bed-Stuy, concluded the event with an emphasis on the need to speak up,  make your voice heard and protest against the current system. “Silence protects this system.  Anger leads to power, and power brings change.” 

Private equity (PE) firms now control roughly half of the home care sector in New York State,  Cornell University researchers said at a conference organised by the university’s Industrial Labor  Relations on September 30th.  

Researchers from Cornell’s school of Industrial & Labor Relations published a report this June  about PE consolidating home care, home health, and hospice agencies. Home care is the largest  occupational category in New York State. In 2023, NYS had 566,160 home health and personal  care aides, of whom 87% were women, 81% people of color, and 66% immigrants or foreign-born.  

Medicaid is the primary payer for home care services. New York State has higher Medicaid  long-term-care enrollment and spending than most states, offering a steady revenue source for  PE-owned home care agencies. ILR analysts suggest that PE-backed home care agencies in NYS  derive most of their home care revenue from Medicaid, with a reported $2.32 billion in 2022,  more than 7.6% of the Medicaid home care revenue reported by NYS home care providers that  year.  

The total amount of Medicaid revenue flowing to PE owned agencies in NYS is projected to rise  sharply in 2026, as a PE-backed company has now taken over administration of the Consumer 

Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). In 2025, CDPAP accounted for more than 50% of  home care delivery in NYS.  

ILR researchers and authors met to discuss the impact defined in the report. Anne Marie Brady,  ILR’s Director of Research for Worker Rights and Equity, acknowledged the profit extracted by PE  across services for aging and disabled individuals. Researchers, policymakers, and advocates are  concerned about the potential negative impact these changes have on the quality of jobs, and  the quality of care provided, she said. This included serious issues, such as caregivers who went  without pay or were paid incorrectly, limited health coverage for workers, and procurement  irregularities.  

Kezia Scales, the vice-president of Policy, Research & Evaluation of Protected Health Information  (PHI) says that women in home care ”are not treated like real professionals. This severely affects  their wages.” Workers often face workplace discrimination as well, Scales said. Aditi Sen, the  managing director of campaigns at Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF),  brought up ties to structural racism dating back centuries. “Conditions in this sector have been  abhorrent, both for caregivers and patients.”  

With PE acquisition, less funds are being dedicated to employee connection, which means little to  no human support. Automation in customer service has led to reports of lack of information on  patient conditions, as well as racism and bigotry through patient families, according to Scales.  Workers have been unable to connect with support resources. Robin Rowe, the lead project  researcher, says that many home care workers described “feeling isolated from the company, and  that they were left on their own.” 

Long repair delays, poor communication, confusing directives: New York City Housing Authority residents aired their grievances and demanded more accountability from the public housing agency at a September 22 City Council hearing. Council members urged NYCHA executives to answer for what is going to be done to aid residents for lack of a proper system around work orders. “We are not and should not be the ones and neither should that be falling on residents’ backs to be constantly calling and following up and figuring out where their work orders are,” Councilmember Elsie Encarnacian told Daniel Green., executive vice president of property management operations at NYCHA, “I think that there has to be a more fluid method for you guys [NYSCHA] to be actively going out and following up on these work orders and not the other way around.” 

NYCHA was created in 1934 in order to provide affordable apartments and nowadays, according to the NYCHA website, provides roughly 1 in 16 New Yorkers with housing. In order to combat the billions of dollars in severe building repair backlogs costs they implemented the PACT program in 2016. The goal of PACT was to bring in private and nonprofit companies to manage the properties and fund renovations in order to keep the housing affordable. Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Public Housing Chris Banks led the oversight hearing focused on the continued backlog of work orders. 

Daniel Green, executive vice president of property management operations at NYCHA, explained that residents can submit repair requests through the Customer Contact Center, the NYCHA app, or the NYCHA website. Once a request is submitted a maintenance worker is sent to assess the repairs needed and if it is more than a basic repair, like plumbing or plastering, they will create tickets for NYCHA Staff and vendors to complete the repair. Residents can then call their neighborhood planner to schedule skill trade appointments.  

“Of all trades, NYCHA maintenance workers have the heaviest daily workload, receiving approximately 98,000 work orders per month,” Green said. “Despite the immense workload NYCHA is completing basic maintenance repairs in occupied apartments in less than four days on average with its onsite maintenance teams.” 

Green pointed out how NYCHA is making real progress in improving conditions in their apartments and buildings. Their average score on the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) physical inspection system was 79 as of September 16, 2026, compared to 32.5 in 2023. He also said 89 percent of NYCHA developments passed those same HUD inspections, compared with 15 percent in 2023.

These scores were later questioned by Council Member Elsie Encarnacion, representative of district 8, who said “I’ll be honest. I don’t know how you’re hitting those numbers.” Her assessment was based on what she had learned while visiting apartments and speaking with NYCHA residents in her district. She says that much of her and fellow council staff ‘s portion of constituent service is spent helping residents get existing work orders addressed. “If I look at my staff’s notebooks, it’s all work order numbers,” said Encarnacion. Green says that is the reason the NYCHA has created programs like Maintenance Cares and the Critical Repairs Initiative as a way to handle urgent and long standing repair issues. 

But for residents living in NYCHA the work order backlog represents more than a statistic. For Patricia Dickey, it meant being unable to use her kitchen and relying on a temporary slop sink given to her by NYCHA. NYCHA staff told that the work on her kitchen would finished by March 2027. “It’s extremely hard. First off, I have dialysis, so I need the function of my kitchen to work because I have to eat in a certain way,” Dickey said. “And then I have grandchildren that’s here and it’s like I’m using half of my kitchen and then I can’t lift stuff and everything is all scattered.” Many residents are forced to go through this process of waiting and hoping that NYCHA will help. 

Other tenants say they cannot get a straight answer on what construction is being done in their developments. Carla Hollingsworth, the Secretary of the Stuyvesant Gardens One Tenants Association, said,“We have been told that ETC [a construction company contracted by NYCHA] manages approximately 22 contracting companies working simultaneously at the development. We’ve repeatedly asked, who are these companies? What work is each company performing? Who’s responsible for supervising and inspecting their work? Who is accountable when that work fails? We have gotten no answers to date.”

Councilmember Althea Stevens questioned the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development’s (DYCD) efforts to meet the needs of runaway and homeless youth at a hearing at on Tuesday. Stevens, who chairs the Committee on Children and Youth, grilled officials on discrepancies between policies she said make sense on paper, and their failure to help youth in the real world.

More than 154,000 children in NYC experienced homelessness in 2024, according to data from Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group. The group also found that 30,824 children stayed in shelters in July 2026.

“The city has resources, but we have to connect the dots,” said Samiha Khan Oishi, now 23, when members of the public were invited to give testimony. Oishi described her experience navigating the city’s shelter system as a 19-year-old on a student visa after being kicked out of student housing.

DYCD tracks the capacity of shelters in the city in terms of how many beds are available. Currently, there are around 900 beds across the five boroughs available for children and youth. 

In addition to shelters, the city also offers drop-in centers, which are facilities designed to provide food, clothing, showers and laundry, and Transitional Independent Living (TIL) programs, which are meant to offer youth 16-20 years of age support as they search for permanent housing.

According to the DYCD website, youth are permitted to stay in shelters for up to 24 months at a time. 

After that time is up, shelter staff will sometimes then re-enter a youth in the system in order to restart the timeline, explained Assistant Commissioner Samantha Dawkins. 

Several in the assembled audience shook their heads, and Stevens mused why there was a policy for maximum stay in shelters in the first place. “I don’t like stupid stuff,” she declared, before proposing to agitate for a policy change at the state level.

Stevens also wants the department to have more funding for street outreach for young people who are homeless, including runaways. 

There are currently two outreach teams for the entirety of the five boroughs, each consisting of four to five people in a van. As DYCD Commissioner Sandra Escamilla-Davies explained, one team covers the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan above 59th Street, while the other covers the rest of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

That comes out to about eight people covering all of New York, a city of more than 8 million, Stevens pointed out. 

Stevens expressed her disbelief at the situation, pointing out the difficulty of a single outreach team, tasked with half of Manhattan and all of Brooklyn also meeting the needs of youth on Staten Island. “Are they swimming back and forth?” she asked, as laughter rippled across the room. “What are we talking about here?”

“I’m gonna ask the question, and then I’m gonna answer it,  said Stevens, before asking if the agency needed more funding for street outreach, and immediately answering in the affirmative for them. “Do you need more funding for street outreach? Yes. Alright, so we did that part.”

On Sept. 15 South of Prospect residents gathered for the very first workshop of a long-term improvement plan for the corridors of Coney Island Avenue & McDonald Avenue led by the Department of City Planning and three New York City Council officials. The workshop focused on community housing, economic development and local infrastructure of the large south of Prospect Park area, including the neighbourhoods of Kensington, Midwood, Ditmas Park and Borough Park.

Rita Joseph, a member of the New York City Council for the 40th district was one of the officials who opened the workshop, held at P.S. 889 on Hinckley Place. “I grew up just around the street,” Joseph said, “This is a long overdue meeting to start treating Coney Island Avenue and McDonald Avenue as a community asset rather than just a place.”

She encouraged South of Prospect residents to ask questions and participate in the activities, “Make your voices heard,” said Joseph.

Almost a 100 people attended the workshop. Residents grouped at tables around the room participated in a visioning activity to help identify the key issues. They supported the idea of mixed-use buildings with small businesses on the first floor and apartments above them. Many of the attendees also called for more affordable housing, additional community spaces and better support for locally owned businesses, as one of the major priorities was keeping the economy local. According to the residents, mixed-used buildings would expand small businesses and create additional housing along both corridors.

The participants also discussed the need for better parking, more buses and bicycle lanes. Some of the attendees raised concerns about poor street lighting and the narrow subway stations, including limited entrances to the Beverley Road and Prospect Park train stations on Q train line, which causes unsafe conditions in the neighborhood.

These concerns also reflect the results of a survey provided by the Department of City Planning. According to 1,865 survey participants, 84% of which live in south of Prospect area, the main three priorities for the plan are street conditions, affordable housing and open spaces.

The September 15 th workshop was just the first step forward to building a better environment. There will be a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, September 23 rd for those who couldn’t participate in the opening event. As the draft of neighborhood plan comes together, community members will be able to view and share their thoughts about the process.

“Today is the beginning stage. We’re here to work hand in hand with you to make our neighborhood safer and more affordable,” said Council member Farah louis, “Good thing happen when neighbors get together!”

Members of Zorhan Mamdani’s administration spent almost four hours Wednesday responding to a cordial and primarily procedural line of questioning from the New York City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings in regard to the Mayor’s new housing plan.

Committee Chair Piereina Sanchez, Councilmember Sandy Nurse and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams went as far as to compliment the proposal.

“I think this is one of the better housing plans I’ve seen across administrations so congratulations there,” Williams said.

Sanchez did voice concerns as well, questioning whether the city government had the staff to roll out and enforce some of the more labor-intensive aspects of the plan. The members of the administration reassured the committee that they are properly staffed and had made hiring efforts in the places where there may have been a deficit. 

Dina Levy, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), led the administration’s team through the questioning. She outlined a four-pronged approach focusing on protecting tenants, increasing the number of available homes, easing the path for first-time home buyers, and improving public access to programs such as the housing lottery and permitting procedures.  

“First, our administration’s commitment to ensuring that we are providing protections for tenants and significantly improving our code enforcement efforts,” Levy explained. “Second is our commitment to building a record number of affordable housing with a goal of building 200,000 new units over the next 10 years. We are also committed to converting and stabilizing an additional 200,000 units over the same period.” 

The plan introduces a series of stricter guidelines for landlords to adhere to, while making it easier for tenants to file complaints to the HPD. With an increase of staff and streamlined processes, the mayor’s office is aiming to address more housing violations and speed up response time.

Sanchez also asked for clarification on what will differentiate “high road” and “low road” landlords, distinguishing between landlords who will be given time to improve living conditions under city supervision and those who will have more severe legal action taken against them.  

“We are really looking to work with owners who want to work with their tenants. We are really putting an emphasis on dialogue with residents and resident associations,” responded Cea Weaver, Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.  

The effort to increase the quantity and quality of available rental units includes an expansion of existing tax rebates to incentivize homeowners to renovate and rehabilitate multi-family housing, while incentivising developers to convert non-residential buildings into homes. Any participating units will be subject to rent stabilization.

Under the plan, HPD would also increase the number of subsidy loans given to developers building new cooperative buildings and one-to-four-family homes. These homes would be sold at prices set by the HPD, to buyers of an eligible income range. The HPD will also expand its downpayment assistance program. 

According to the 2023 NYC Housing & Vacancy survey, 10% of households in the Bronx are subject to an eviction filing, while 26% reported three or more maintenance deficiencies. In response to these high rates, the housing plan looks to implement extra efforts in the Bronx by focusing on educating the community on renters’ rights, assisting building owners with improving conditions, and supporting quality of life through public space improvement.

Independent of the Mayor’s plans, members of the committee were also able to bring forward their own initiatives.. Both Councilmember Sandy Nurse and Councilmember Harvey Epstein introduced initiatives that other councilmembers  and mayor’s aides complimented. 

Councilmember Nurse’s Initiative 0905-2026 looks to give pre-approved housing non-profits early access to buy certain residential properties with the intention of turning them into affordable housing. 

Councilmember Epstein’s Initiative 0178- 2026 would establish an Office of Convergence Assistance. This new office would assist all entities, both public and private, with the conversion of non-residential buildings to residential buildings. 

“According to the Department of Buildings and Records, about one third of new housing permits came from these conversions this year,” Epstein said. 

A date for the final City Council vote on the housing plan or specific initiatives is yet to be set.

At the John Jay Educational Campus in Brooklyn, outgoing Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who will be the New York City Comptroller, met with voters and volunteers during the Yes on Affordable Housing campaign. The event took place on Election Day, when New Yorkers voted on several city ballot proposals. It included Ballot Questions 2, 3 and 4 which aim to make it easier and faster to build affordable housing in New York City.

As the new Comptroller, Levine said he hopes to invest 1% of the city’s $315 billion in pension fund assets to help pay for affordable housing.

Levine spoke about the housing-related ballot proposals, which he described as a chance to “fix inequality” in how housing is approved across neighborhoods. “Right now, if a community has enough money or influence, they can stop housing development,” he said. “They hire lawyers, they sue and they often win. We need a new system.”

In New York City, every large construction project has to go through a long public process known as the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP. The process gives local community boards and City Council members the power to review, delay, or block new housing proposals. Levine explained that wealthier neighborhoods often use this system to resist affordable housing by hiring attorneys, consultants, or lobbyists to oppose new developments.

As a result, poorer neighborhoods end up with most of the city’s affordable housing, while wealthier ones remain out of reach for lower-income residents. Levine said the housing proposals would help change that by streamlining approvals and focusing new projects in areas that have built the fewest homes. He described them as “a chance to end that era” of stalled development. Levine said, “It will make it harder to kill affordable housing projects and help create more balance across the city.”

At the Brooklyn site, volunteers with Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani’s campaign spoke about the housing issue.

Matthew Comeau, a volunteer who came from Washington, D.C., said, “This city is too expensive, bottom line. Affordable housing should mean that most of your income doesn’t go to rent.” 

Another volunteer, Karen Ho, shared her view as a former international student. “There’s a misconception that all international students are rich,” she said. “Affordable housing helped me stay in New York and start my career.”

Levine said the city needs to focus on truly affordable rent for all income levels. He pointed to a project in Inwood that combined a rebuilt library with 172 affordable apartments, some costing as little as $680 a month. “It proves that housing can be affordable if we put in the effort,” he said.

Levine hopes the new measure, if approved, will lead to half a million new apartments over the next decade.“If we do this right,” he said, “young New Yorkers won’t have to win a lottery just to live in their own city.

   Educational Housing Services (EHS), joined by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, celebrated the completion of its third student housing campus, Hudson Yards, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. According to EHS officials, the ceremony was less about their newest building and more about preserving the idea of New York City being the city of dreams for the younger generation. As NYC continues to lack affordable living conditions for students, EHS provides an option for some students.   

   For the occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by EHS President and CEO Jeff Lynford, was the public’s introduction to the building. Lynford and Gillibrand were joined by NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher. Lynford thanked those who lent their helping hands during the five year long construction of the project.

   EHS provides housing for college students and interns all around NYC. Their newest building is their third one, next to the Midtown location where they occupy five floors of the New Yorker Hotel, and their Brooklyn Heights location named St. George Towers. The Hudson Yards location opened up last August right before the 2024-2025 school year, whilst the team were still putting the finishing touches on the building. 

   In recent weeks, the EHS team had put the finishing touches on the building, ready to showcase it to everyone else. Students from any university are able to apply for housing and pay the costs that come with it. The prices for a room varies, as a single room for the current fall semester is $8,500. A room for next year’s spring semester sees a slight increase, with the price being $10,650. And for the entire year, excluding the option of staying during the summer, the price is $16,450. With the summer option, the price is $22,350. EHS provides multiple payment plans, and different rooming options to help lessen the price.

  Senator Gillibrand set the tone for the ceremony. “For decades New York has been the city of dreams,” she said. “We ask ourselves is this city still where dreams are achievable for every young person? For far too many students the answer is no. The reality is, it is a tough time to be a young person in this nation.” 

   Gilliband cited a recent study found that 350,000 New Yorkers left this city in 2022. “Ttime and time again they are stating the same reasons for leaving ‘New York City is just too expensive.’” Gilliband finished by saying “We can not let the dream of New York become a distant memory for the next generation.”

   Council Member Bottcher said  “When I moved to New York City in 2001, I rented a futon in this guy’s living room.” “All my stuff had to be put away before he came out to the living room in the morning. That was the New York City I was able to afford.” 

   Before the building housed students, the building provided housing for single women in the 1900s who looked to find their dreams in the city. “This building before it was shut down, used to be affordable housing for women” said Vice President Christy Chatfield. “This building had such a great story but that story had already been told. These women who came from all around the world. It was such a wonderful opportunity for them.” 

   Halle Zavlick, a current college student and one of the resident advisor for EHS New Yorker Branch took her first step into the Hudson Yard building at the ceremony. “The furniture here is much cleaner and has more of a neutral color palette than the New Yorker one” Zavlick joked. “I used to live with my grandmother but she’s getting older and to give her space, I decided to move into the EHS dorms. It’s a lot closer to my campus.” said Zavlick.

   As Jeff Lynford and Kristen Gillibrand cut the ribbon, it symbolised the unveiling of a new hope that strived to hold together the NYC dream.

The path to affordable housing is more clear for the Rockaways, as the New York City Council passed a new amendment to an existing project that would strengthen the waterfront community. On Wednesday, Oct. 8, the New York City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, and Dispositions voted to pass land use applications that refer to the Arvene East Project, which will “transform a 116-acre vacant, oceanfront site within the Arverne and Edgemere neighborhoods of Queens.” 

The project is located right on the Rockaway Peninsula and was described as “one of the most environmentally conscious developments in the United States,” in a press release by nyc.gov in December of 2021. 

“Arverne East is a true community-first and environmentally-friendly project that will bring much-needed housing, stores, community space and other amenities to a long-neglected neighborhood,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr in the press release. 

According to the city, the project will see the creation of new affordable housing units, a nature preserve, and an urban farm across the waterfront. The project also sets out to create better storm resiliency for the Rockaways as new developments will be built “three to eight feet above the existing grade” and include storm buffers for the area. The project’s first phase in 2021 focused on the nature preserve, which will take up about 35 acres between Beach 44th Street and Beach 56th Place. The preserve will include a community center that is owned and operated by RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity), a non-profit organization that promotes civic engagement and hosts youth development programs. 

While the project was first given approval by the Committee on Land Use on March 25, 2021, these new applications were presented to the subcommittee on Tuesday, Sept. 30. District 37 Councilmember Sandy Nurse served as the acting chair for the portion, with Councilmember Selvena N. Brooks Powers, who oversees District 31, which includes Arvene East. Testimony was given by Kevin Parris, the director of Queens & Staten Island Planning at New York City Housing Preservation and Developments Project (HPD), and Justin Donlon, a project manager at HPD. HPD is involved in the project and submitted the new applications. 

The new applications look to expand homeownership on Arvene East. Where the original project designated that 5 percent of the units were to be cooperative homeownership units, the new proposal would increase that to 7 percent “with the remaining units to be rental units,” according to Parris. Cooperative homeownership units (or co-ops for short) are units where tenants own and share responsibility for the buildings. 

“Residents looking to purchase a unit within a co-op will own shares of the overall corporation rather than owning the walls-in unit itself. The number of shares a resident owns pertains to the size of the unit itself,” said Brian Shahwan, vice president and mortgage banker at William Raveis Mortgage to Architectural Digest. 

A co-op isn’t the same as if someone were to buy property themselves, rather they would be entitled to a share of the building. The idea of co-ops on Arvene East contributes to the ideas of community and collaboration outlined in the project, while giving community members a chance at homeownership. According to Parris, the project is set to be closed by the end of the calendar year. 

“Pathways to homeownership are critical in my district and across the city,” said Brooks Powers. “That is why I’m excited to see that there’s movement on homeownership units for the Arvene East development.” 

As federal housing protections weaken, New York City officials say they are stepping up local enforcement efforts to ensure tenants can still access fair and legal housing without facing discrimination based on vouchers or source of income.  

In an Oct. 3 City Council hearing, District 27 Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Civil and Human Rights Nantasha Williams stressed the urgency of addressing ongoing housing discrimination, particularly against New Yorkers who rely on housing vouchers. Her comments follow reports that two civil rights lawyers were fired from the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) for speaking out against the current administration’s effort to debilitate enforcement of the Fair Housing Act.   

“Some landlords continue to use tactics to sidestep the laws, while other landlords cease all communication with prospective tenants upon learning that they will use a voucher to pay their rent, and that’s true,” said Williams. “I actually did like a secret shopper thing and that happened to me as I pretended that I was looking for an apartment, and had that experience as well.”

Williams described the situation as New York City’s “worst housing crisis” and called attention to the layered forms of discrimination people face when looking for accommodations. She noted that this source of income discrimination disproportionately affects people of color, individuals with disabilities, and people with children.

City Council Member Rita Joseph of District 40, who also serves on the Committee on Civil and Human Rights, echoed these concerns, highlighting persistent voucher discrimination in her Brooklyn district. 

“I recall in 2022 when I first came into office, I got a report that my district was one of the districts that faced a lot of discrimination from landlords who did not accept vouchers,” said Joseph. “My neighboring council members have the same issue. We definitely would love to see more work done around that.” 

To address these concerns, the Council called on NYC’s Commission of Human Rights (CCHR), the agency tasked with enforcing the Human Rights Law, which prohibits housing and employment discrimination based on a wide range of factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship status, and source of income.

At the hearing, representatives from CCHR discussed how they are taking steps to educate all New Yorkers on their housing rights. This includes housing rights workshops at adult centers, free courses for brokers through their collaboration with the Fordham Real Estate Institute, multilingual ad campaigns, and even educational theater performances. 

“In fiscal year ‘25, the commission achieved a new milestone engaging with more than 150,000 New Yorkers, which is the highest since I’ve been at the commission. One consistent and growing pathway of engagement is our free facilitated trainings,” said JoAnn Kamuf Ward, Deputy Commissioner of Policy and External Affairs at CCHR. “The commission works diligently to meet New Yorkers where they are across the five boroughs. This is increasingly important in the current time when there is a lot of government mistrust.”

Ward emphasized that community outreach is only part of the work CCHR does. Many discrimination complaints are resolved through settlements, which can result in broader benefits for tenants. 

“The commission is proud to have effectively utilized settlements and source of income cases to increase housing availability for voucherholders,” said Ward, “through set asides and broker incentive programs.” 

Kevin Farley, Associate Commissioner of Investigations and Operations at CCHR, explained how the agency conducts its testing to catch illegal practices in the housing market. 

“You will have an inquiry from someone posing as a voucher holder about the availability about renting an apartment, and then you have someone posing as someone with earned income trying to rent an apartment,” said Farley. “We’re looking for differential treatment there to determine if discrimination is happening.”

For many New Yorkers, the effects of housing discrimination are deeply personal. Muhammad Musah, Lead Community Organizer at African Communities Together (ART), testified at the hearing and shared his own experience of being removed from his apartment of three years.

“One day without warning, I discovered my name was no longer on the building’s virtual doorman list,” said Musah. “Despite paying my rent religiously, I could no longer access my home. Weeks went by before the management company finally told me the reason. The landlord had been illegally leasing the unit to me.”

He continued, “I’m Muslim and there’s not many Muslims in that building. I often had to wait hours outside hoping someone would let me in while worrying about how I might be perceived just for trying to enter my own home. I felt unsafe, I felt invisible, and I felt powerless.”

Musah’s experience was one of several presented at the hearing as examples of how housing discrimination continues to affect tenants across NYC. Council members expressed support for expanding CCHR’s capacity to investigate and enforce the law, especially as federal regulations continue to get rolled back. While CCHR is not federally funded through HUD, changes at that level can still impact local enforcement.   

“That work must be visible and accessible so that every New Yorker understands their rights and trusts that we are standing with them,” said Williams. 

Activists and elected officials rallied at City Hall to urge Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the ban on the 100-foot rule for new natural gas pipeline connections. Lisa Marshall, Organizing Director for New Yorkers for Clean Power, introduced “We know the utilities are not going to stop this practice that is so good for their corporate profits until lawmakers and the governor act to change the law.” said Marshall.

The 100-foot rule bill was originally part of the much larger New York Heat Act, which the legislature did not pass. The legislature did approve the ban on the 100-foot rule, which requires gas utilities to connect new construction with existing pipelines with ratepayers footing the bill. But the governor has yet to sign the bill. If the new bill is signed into effect the cost of new gas pipelines will be solely on the owner of said property.

Various climate advocacy groups participated, including the Association for Energy Affordability, Food and Water Watch, Sane Energy Project, 350Brooklyn and Climate Families.

“One in four New York households already cannot afford to pay their energy bills, but that isn’t stopping Con Ed and National Grid and other utilities from raising rates so they can continue to build new gas pipelines, dirty gas pipelines, and we are paying the bill,” said Marshall. 

Senator Liz Kreuger, who sponsored the bill in the state Senate, pointed out that other states are not stalling on the push for green energy. She mentioned Texas’ recent investments on renewables. “Texas is moving to sustainable energy, [they’ve] sped up the amount of solar energy and battery storage and wind. Even in the last year under their favorite president, Donald Trump, they’re not stepping back. They’re not stepping away. They’re moving forward, because they understand with the impact of climate change, their future is in green energy, they’re doing it. We better well damn do it, too.”

Assemblywoman Joanne Simon spoke about the misconception that rising rates are due to investment in renewable energy. “You keep hearing that my rates are going up because of green energy. They are not going up because of green energy. They are going up because of fossil fuels.” said Assemblywoman Simon. “The cost of putting in those pipelines and repairing those pipelines are very expensive.”

New Yorkers for Clean Power hope that Governor Hochul will sign the bill before Climate Week ends on September 28th. However, activists are scheduling further events to pressure the governor, including an electric candlelight vigil outside the War Room in Albany on December 11th.

East New York residents fear the “City of Yes” housing reforms will contribute to overdevelopment in their community while not addressing infrastructure concerns. 

The New York City Council voted 31-20 on December 5th to approve Mayor Eric Adams’ amended “City of Yes” plan. The measure that passed included amendments added on  November 1st, 2024, addressing affordability issues beyond zoning, infrastructure, and housing protections; the measure won a Council majority.

But Councilmember Chris Banks (D-NY), who represents East New York, voted against the bill to reflect the will of his constituency. In a November 19th town hall hosted by Banks and Councilwoman Sandy Nurse (D-NY), who represents Bushwick and surrounding areas, Banks referred to the pending vote as “the hardest vote I’ll ever have to take.” He also addressed partial and misinformation regarding the proposal he felt his constituency was unaware of. Banks said all four community boards in the 42nd councilmanic district voted against the City of Yes. He also stated that some of the districts felt the proposal needed adjustments.

Community activist John Joyner agrees.  “Mayor Eric Adams’ housing plan throws all the weight on struggling businesses, property owners, and landlords while protecting people like Donald Trump and other wealthy building owners from doing their part,” said Joyner. Joyner, a community activist from Say No Irresponsible Development in East New York, added that New Yorkers need a more comprehensive plan to achieve housing equity. 

On November 1st, 2024, The City Council announced a $5 billion plan to address further the issues the City of Yes did not tackle. After securing capital funding from Mayor Adams (D-NY) and Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY), the council put together a housing plan to address the root causes of the housing crisis beyond zoning through policy and investments. They wanted measures to increase affordable home ownership and housing preservation and provide more affordable housing options. 

Speaker Adrienne Adams said, “New Yorkers need more housing, but affordability, homeownership opportunities, housing security and stability, and neighborhood investments are equally important to help working-and middle-class residents in our city,” she said.

New York City is experiencing a housing crisis with a 1.4% vacancy rate citywide – the lowest since 1968. Most New Yorkers are currently paying more than 30% of their income towards rent. In East New York, Brooklyn, where the poverty rate is higher than the city as a whole, the housing vacancy rate in East New York in 2022 was 3.4%, and the average rent had increased from $1,260 to $1,450 within 16 years.

Some East New Yorkers felt the original proposal didn’t do enough. At the Brooklyn Community Board 5 meeting, Brother Paul Muhammad, a local activist, stated, “This was not designed to empower this community. It was designed to give access to people to get at our homes and our properties.”

Mayor Adams advanced The City of Yes as a housing program to reform zoning laws and create more housing in every district. It will allow developers to reserve 20% of space in new developments to create affordable options and to lift the restrictions on zoning and allow conversion of underutilized buildings to housing. It will allow more housing types, including the conversion of basements into apartments, and reduce parking mandates. 

However, critics believe the proposal was a way to get developers to take over low-density areas. Critics also worry that the new housing will lack enough parking.

“One of the modifications states they would ease or somewhat roll back the parking requirements in the four zones that were created for each council district to possibly qualify,” said Councilmember Banks. “Every zone had a reduction in parking, and in my district, my issue was that why wasn’t there consideration for zones that needed more parking.” Banks stated.

According to the new bill, there will be a multi-zone system to address parking for new developments. Parking for new developments will be eliminated in Manhattan (with the exception of Inwood), Long Island City, parts of Brooklyn, and parts of western Queens. Parking will be reduced in areas that are accessible by transit while maintaining parking in areas that are further from subway service. 

Banks felt that the parking mandates should have been protected to avoid leaving parking at developers’ discretion. That way, any new developers building in the district would be mandated by the city to provide parking to residents. He also felt that infrastructure was not considered, especially in his district, where there is a lot of development, even though there are existing infrastructure issues such as flooding, sewage, and transportation that need to be recognized. 

Val Hunter, an East New York activist, was unhappy with the passage and believed it would only allow the city to overdevelop the community without addressing existing infrastructure issues.  “I understand progressive measures, but until current infrastructure issues are made a priority, then why would monies be allotted anywhere else,” Hunter said, “especially to over-develop a city that should be a model city offering diverse living options.”

East New Yorkers also point out that the plan offered no pathway to homeownership. “Homeownership was something I stressed over and over again that the plan was empty on, especially in a community like mine, which just had a large housing expansion in the most Southern part of the district,” Banks said. “However, we also need those middle-class folks who, according to our AMI, make $50-$100,000 and want to stay in the district. There’s no housing for them.”

Eu Shaw, an East New York resident, shared this sentiment and thought that the housing search in New York City is a joke. “Take a minute and look at the Housing Connect website,” he said. “Most apartments you have to earn $80-to-$100,000 per year or be very low income. How many people earn that?”

Activists and advocacy groups in other areas of Brooklyn also were displeased by the proposal passage. Sunset Park Votes, an advocacy group that promotes civic engagement for residents of Sunset Park, said in a statement that “the NYC Council’s recent passage of the modified City of Yes legislation has left the working-class disheartened. While it includes $5 billion for housing, $200 million to reduce NYCHA vacancies, $187 million for CityFHEPS rental assistance, and $2 million for parks, these measures fall short of addressing the housing crisis for many who need it the most.”

According to Banks, the capital funds allocated for the plan are only commitments and have not yet been budgeted. He fears those commitments may change in the future but hopes that the city sticks with those commitments.

“We know in this city, in this climate of politics, things change. So I’m praying, and I’m hoping that those commitments stay in place,” he said.

Overall, with the proposal now passed, the Councilmember looks forward to seeing how those modifications will be incorporated into East New York with the zoning changes. He also plans to remain observant of all changes and will continue to advocate for his district on the council.

On Tuesday, Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) announced it will stop using hotels and short-term rentals to temporarily house foster children with complex needs, citing a decline in incoming foster youth. Instead, children and teens entering the foster care system will be placed in a new care center staffed by professionals trained to provide comprehensive support. The announcement follows the signing of an executive order by Idaho’s governor aimed at removing barriers making the process faster and more accessible for prospective foster parents. However, some critics are raising concerns about the potential risks involved in the expedited process.

“The number of children coming into foster care rose in 2020 and 2021, and the department established the temporary housing program to keep kids safe,” said DHW Youth Safety and Permanency Administrator Jean Fisher. “The department’s goal was always to phase this program out as soon as possible.”

The program primarily housed newly enrolled foster children with health conditions, developmental disabilities, and teens, who are more challenging to place in foster care than their younger counter parts. 

In a 2021 interview with Idaho CBS 2 News, Cameron Gilliland, the former administrator of the Division of Family and Community Services, acknowledged using an office building to temporarily house the growing number of foster youths.

“We didn’t have a place for them, so sometimes we’ve had to keep them in the office overnight,” said Gilliland. “Other times we’ve gone to hotels and short-term rentals. Most of them are there in that situation for 10 or less days. Although we have some that have been a little longer.”

In May, the Health and Welfare department opened a new 16-bed assessment center, the “Payette Assessment and Care Center” (PACC), in Treasure Valley, Idaho, which instantly reduced the reliance on temporary housing. The center was built over the course of six months with the help from state funding and dozens of donations from local organizations 

“One of the important things that we find is a lot of kids that come to us have never experienced the ability to have their own room,” said Stacy Corbett, program manager for child welfare. “The rooms are big enough to fit two beds so siblings can remain together.” 

The focus on maintaining sibling connections and offering a sense of stability is crucial as many of these children come from environments of trauma. These efforts are aligned with larger state initiatives aimed at supporting foster families and children in the child welfare system.

In June, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed Executive Order 2024-05, the “Promoting Families and Protecting Children Act,” and announced additional steps his administration is taking to remove barriers for foster families and better protect youth in the child welfare system.

“There is no category of children more in need of protection than those in the child welfare system. Through no fault of their own, children in foster care in Idaho face enormous challenges. Governor Little said in a statement. “They need our support, and so do the foster families who step up to care for them, love them, and provide them safety. The Promoting Families and Protecting Children Act will accelerate the improvements we know we need to address in our child welfare system in Idaho.”

One barrier that has been removed to “accelerate” the placement of children in foster homes was making a pre-service trauma informed training course optional for caregivers. which was once mandatory, according to DHW. A report by the National Library of Medicine stated that, approximately 90% of children in foster care have experienced trauma, whether it be from abuse, neglect, or other adverse situations. Foster parents are still required to attend the ‘Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard’ and ‘Fostering Idaho Resources & Skills Training’ course, which teaches them to “make careful and sensible parental decisions,” according to DHW.

“This is terrifying,” said Barbra Decker, an Idaho native, who adopted a child that she fostered in 2019. “Trauma informed care is the core of keeping kiddos from jumping placement to placement. I understand the need for more foster parents, but this is not the way to go.”

While Decker finds this ‘terrifying,’ she remains hopeful that adults who are considering fostering will make the right choice and complete the pre-service trauma-informed training course.

“I trust that they (adults) will take the time to have the proper training to learn how to care for these kiddos,” said Decker. “Bless their hearts.”

Jamaica is an interesting pocket of Queens. There’s something about the neighborhood that feels somewhat self-contained as an area with 80,000 residents, 97% of whom being nonwhite and 57% having been born outside of the country. It’s not hard to see how it stands apart from other dense, metropolitan areas in NYC. This is exactly what New York Times writer David McAninch found when covering the neighborhood in a 2007 article, writing, “They are signs of a street life that, though distinctly urban in its grit and rough edges, is more villagelike than cosmopolitan, a life lived beyond the reach of large-scale gentrification” 

Unfortunately, it’s starting to feel like that last sentence is in danger of aging poorly.

It’s becoming increasingly common to hear Queens natives lamenting on how much the neighborhood has changed. Oftentimes you might even hear a particular buzzword: gentrification. 

This is not a particularly new concern. You can find articles and think-pieces from as far back as 2016 where people express fears that their beloved neighborhood may be falling victim to the dreaded g-word. This mostly stems from relatively small, superficial concerns like a new Shake Shack or the closing of beloved businesses like the Jamaica Multiplex Theater, which has been a landmark since its opening in May 2002. It seems somewhat frivolous to dread the opening of a new restaurant or mourn some movie theater but to some people, a new burger restaurant location serves as warning that they may be getting pushed out.

This flurry of sudden (and somewhat unwelcomed) changes can be tied back to one man: Mayor Eric Adams.

Since taking office in 2022, the Adams administration has had one clear and consistent goal: bringing large sweeping changes to neighborhoods all across the city. It took only his second State of the City Address for Adams to announce his “Working People’s Agenda”, which included an action plan to explicitly execute a “full reconstruction of Jamaica Avenue from Sutphin Boulevard to Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica.” 

Since then there’s been a slew of actions and plans announced by Adams that would drastically change areas all over the city, like “Get Stuff Built” and the controversial “City of Yes” Proposal. There are even multiple plans that are specifically centered around Jamaica, like the “Jamaica NOW Plan” and the “Jamaica Neighborhood Plan”. The latter of which is a plan that seeks to “expand housing opportunities, create space for jobs across economic sectors, plan for growth with key infrastructure investments, and improve Jamaica’s public realm.” Although it’s not healthy to be scared of change, there is a lot of concern that all this change may end up doing more harm than good.

Referred to as “the most pro-housing zoning proposal in New York City’s history”, Adams’ City Of Yes proposal makes Jamaica one of the many targets of rezoning and new housing units. Along with City of Yes, The Department of City Planning intends to “deliver more than 50,000 units over the next 15 years in Midtown South in Manhattan and in Long Island City and Jamaica in Queens.” 

These numerous plans and proposals have some residents feeling a bit uncertain about their place in Jamaica’s future, but the Department of City Planning asserts that there is nothing to worry about. “With a 1.4% vacancy rate citywide, New York City is in the midst of a severe housing crisis – and that includes Jamaica, Queens. This is the result of housing production not keeping up with demand,” says DCP Deputy Press Secretary Joe Marvilli.

“When that happens, rents go up and the risk of gentrification, displacement, and tenant harassment increases. Through the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, we can deliver thousands of new homes and ensure, for the first time, that new buildings in Jamaica include a significant amount of permanently income-restricted, affordable housing. This will help existing residents and their families remain and thrive in this community.”