For immediate release: Dec. 11, 2018
Contact: Marisol Bello, [email protected]

Message to HUD: Don’t take over the New York City Housing Authority

Every American needs a place to call home, but access to affordable housing is woefully inadequate throughout the country. This crisis needs substantial increased federal investment that should include more support for public housing.

Nowhere is the crisis starker than in New York City, which has the largest stock of public housing in the country. Now, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering placing the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) under federal receivership.

Community Change is on record that such a move is a big mistake. NYCHA is in desperate need of increase federal resources.

HUD has a history that when it intervened directly in managing public housing through administrative receivership and other tools, neglect quickly turns to displacement and demolition. 

This approach has led to a tremendous loss of affordable units. The demolition of public housing has opened up communities to real estate speculation that has in turn led to displacement of other low income and working class residents – having a much broader displacement and gentrification impact than the public housing alone.

HUD has favored replacing brick-and-mortar public housing with rental vouchers for the private market, pushing longtime tenants out of their homes-and then their neighborhoods. New York City, where rents are already sky high, can’t afford to lose more affordable housing.

“We need to remember the Trump administration attempted to ZERO out federal funding for public housing in their budget. The idea of putting the Trump administration, through HUD, in charge of NYCHA is a recipe for disaster,” said Community Change policy director Steve Savner.

Community Change is a national organization that builds power from the ground up.