“With rents now reaching record highs, the time to act with urgency to address this housing crisis through comprehensive solutions is now. We must prioritize the production and preservation of affordable housing, while addressing the backlogs in housing development caused by agency understaffing and underinvestment. These were all priorities outlined in my housing agenda released last December. The Council will continue to contribute to solving this crisis through the Land Use process, legislative oversight, and my Fair Housing Framework that will establish local housing production targets for every district. There must be a focus on developing more housing in a responsible and equitable way, while deepening affordability, preserving and expanding homeownership, and protecting tenants. New Yorkers cannot afford inaction on these critical solutions, as the recent report that nearly 200,000 Black New Yorkers departed our city over the past two decades illustrated.

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