The package creates a fully staffed navigation center and ensures families are relocated near their homes.
New York, NY (July 14, 2025) – Today, the New York City Council passed the Back Home Act, a groundbreaking package of legislation introduced by Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez and Shekar Krishnan to support New Yorkers displaced by fires, floods, and other emergencies. The bills were developed in direct response to persistent failures in how the City handles emergency displacement and recovery—failures that disproportionately impact low-income, immigrant, and BIPOC communities.
Each year, thousands of New Yorkers experience temporary or long-term displacement due to emergencies. These events often expose critical gaps in communication, coordination, and service delivery across City agencies, leaving tenants without basic answers or support. The Back Home Act is the first comprehensive legislative package to holistically address those failures and has been two years in the making.
“This legislation is about dignity, stability, and the right to return home,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, co-prime sponsor of the package. “Time and time again, we’ve seen New Yorkers displaced from their homes left to navigate a chaotic, unsupported system during the most traumatic moments of their lives. The Back Home Act was written with and for those neighbors—and with its passage, we are finally giving tenants the clear guidance, accountability, and resources they deserve.”
“The Back Home Act is a landmark legislative package that supports New Yorkers who are displaced by the increased dangers of climate change, whether it’s fires, floods, or other emergencies,” said City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, co-prime sponsor of the package. “As a former housing attorney, I saw too often the lack of support tenants received after life-altering emergencies. During times of crisis, New Yorkers deserve clear guidance, resources, and for the government to be accountable to them. I’m proud to be celebrating this package today with my colleague Council Member Gutiérrez and community advocates, to ensure that New Yorkers are no longer left behind by the city they live in.”
“The passage of the Back Home Act sends a clear message to New Yorkers: when disaster strikes, the city will have your back,” said Council Member Pierina Sánchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. “For me, this issue is personal. I was just 3 years old when my family was displaced from our home following a devastating fire. Unfortunately, this experience is common for far too many New Yorkers, where a fire or flood can mean months or even years of displacement from their homes — often with minimal communication from their landlord, and inadequate support from the city. These bills will deliver new forms of support to our neighbors when they need it most: an Office of Remediation to communicate with and support tenants, a new requirement that temporary housing be close to home, and more. I am so proud of my colleagues, Council Members Gutiérrez and Krishnan, for pushing this legislation all the way to the finish line.”
“This bill ensures that displaced families will no longer be left to navigate the aftermath of fires, explosions, or building collapses on their own,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society.
“By creating a single, accountable point of contact, the City will finally step up to provide the coordination, communication, and compassion that survivors urgently need. We applaud the City Council for passing this needed legislation and call on Mayor Adams to sign it into law without delay.”“Being temporarily displaced from your home is already heartbreaking; when it’s long-term, it becomes unbearable. So many of the thousands of tenants and clients we serve are faced with the double tragedy of being forced out of their apartments and also separated from their communities by circumstances outside of their control and a system that failed them. The Back Home Act addresses critical gaps in current policies and will now provide tenants with more rights, resources, and support so they can stay close to their community, access information, and quickly and safely return to their original home. I applaud Council Members Gutiérrez and Krishnan for their great work in passing this life-saving and community-centered legislative package,” said Albert Suh, Interim Executive Director of Communities Resist.
“Displacement is not just about losing housing, it’s about losing your community, your routines, your sense of safety. For too long, Bushwick residents have faced silence, delays, and disconnection when emergencies force them from their homes. The Back Home Act acknowledges that recovery doesn’t start or end with a fire truck, it requires coordination, transparency, and a commitment to bringing our neighbors back home, not pushing them out,” said El Puente.
“St Nicks Alliance celebrates and thanks Council Member Gutierrez and Council Member Shekar Krishnan for their leadership and commitment to tenants in New York City,” stated Rolando Guzman, Deputy Director for Community Preservation.
“The Back to Home Act will provide several tools to tenants displaced due to emergencies such fires and structural issues. St Nicks Alliance every year deals with families displaced from their homes due to vacate orders and this puts an immeasurable burden on those families, this package will provide relief to those issues.”
Bills in the Back Home Act passed today include:
- Intro 749 – The Office of Remediation provides support, resources, and clear communication to help tenants and landlords rebuild their homes and lives, coordinating with agencies to ensure timely re-entry. A dedicated, fully staffed, team within HRO will serve as a navigator center, tracking cases and helping secure updates from all involved agencies.
- Reso 307 – Calls on the state to create limits on landlords’ ability to indefinitely collect insurance payments, creating an incentive to complete repairs for faster tenant re-entry.
- Intro 750 – This bill will require the Department of Buildings to report on the length of time to repair vacated units and ensure that building owners must prove they have tried to fix violations before full demolition.
- Intro 607 mandates the HPD to relocate displaced tenants in the same or nearby neighborhoods upon their request.
Bills in the Back Home Act passing in the near future include:
- Intro 751 – The Fire Guide requires FDNY to provide displaced tenants information on resources and the home repair process in the immediate aftermath of an emergency response. This will be online and in the form of a QR code on all Fire Engine trucks in NYC (aged but was deferred to due to quorum).
- Int 608 – Requires HPD to have tenant specialists that work with displaced tenants throughout the entire process until they return home, help tenants access their homes to retrieve important documents, and remind landlords that tenants must be notified that they have a right to reoccupy their unit. The bill will also urge HPD to use legal tools necessary to compel landlords to make necessary repairs that get tenants back in their homes.
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