City Hall, NY – Today, in response to the New York City Council passing the Speaker’s Fair Housing Framework legislation to require the City to establish targeted housing production goals for each Community District to ensure each New York City neighborhood plays an equitable role in addressing the city’s housing crisis, while accounting for unique community needs, Council Members, labor unions, and housing advocacy organizations issued the following statements:

“Safe and permanent housing, and especially affordable housing, is foundational to the well-being of our city,” said Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “As someone who has experienced homelessness firsthand, no one should have to go through that ordeal. Right now, the lack of available and affordable housing threatens the stability of our communities and curbs our full potential as a society. As a Council, we are doubling down on addressing this crisis head-on. Speaker Adams’ Fair Housing Framework is an important bill that will advance our collective efforts to produce what New Yorkers need, and I’m proud to support its passage.”

“New York City faces an acute housing crisis, and we must pursue an all-of-the-above approach that increases housing production, preserves existing affordable housing, and is accessible to all,” said Majority Leader Keith Powers. “The Fair Housing Framework will help us achieve these goals and I encourage the City Council to prioritize its passage. I also applaud Speaker Adams for recognizing the importance of this issue and her leadership in addressing it.”

“Over 80 percent of white or Black New Yorkers would have to move to a new neighborhood to achieve a more equal racial distribution in our city, highlighting an uncomfortable truth,” said Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. “New York City is one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in America, following a history of government and private sector practices that served to exclude low-income and people of color from certain neighborhoods. I congratulate Speaker Adrienne Adams on the passage of this important legislation today that will require the regular production of a Citywide Fair Housing Plan. Our City’s housing policies are far from meeting the needs of the lowest income New Yorkers, but requiring targets for income restricted and supportive housing at the community district level can get us closer to doing so.”

“Access to quality affordable housing is one of the biggest issues that New Yorkers are facing today,” said Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr, Chair of the Committee on Land Use. “While my district has proudly built the most affordable housing units over the last ten years, we cannot solve the City’s affordable housing crisis alone. So, I am grateful to my City Council colleagues for approving Speaker Adrienne Adams’ Fair Housing Framework legislation that will work to finally lift this burden off of their shoulders. With this bill, a framework for a new and more comprehensive approach to building equitably across the city has been provided that will ensure an increase in affordable housing production in every Borough of our great City.”

“As the Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, I am thrilled to celebrate the successful passage of Speaker Adams’ Fair Housing Framework,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley, Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises. “This achievement is a testament to the power of partnership, where the unwavering support from advocates like ANHD and the New York Housing Conference, alongside the dedicated backing of unions such as 32BJ SEIU and Laborers Local 79, has propelled this critical legislation forward. In the face of New York City’s housing crisis, this bill stands as a beacon of hope, addressing the pressing need for affordable, supportive, and senior housing. I am eager to continue partnership with my colleagues to champion this crucial issue, ensuring that every New Yorker has access to safe, affordable housing. We unite in our commitment to enact change, to ensure that every New Yorker has a place to call home, and that our great city thrives with equity, sustainability, and shared responsibility.”

“From investing in the Right to Counsel to expanding access to rental assistance vouchers, Speaker Adams has risen to the challenges of our housing crisis,” said Council Member Shaun Abreu. “As we all know, the most immediate task at hand is to increase housing supply. Speaker Adams’ Fair Housing Framework does just that, making way for vital housing production while ensuring that new developments are consistent with community needs. It is ambitious, it is thoughtful, and it is exactly the course of action our city needs.”

“This year, only 11,000 new units were added to the housing market – which is far below the amount needed to sustain our growing population and dent the housing crisis,” said Council Member Erik Bottcher. “We can and must do far better than this. The lack of affordable housing is the most central crisis facing our City. The decisions we make about housing today will decide New York’s future prosperity. Establishing a fair housing framework in New York City begins to address the urgent and escalating crisis of affordable housing in our city. It is imperative that we not only expand housing opportunities but also do so in an equitable manner, ensuring that every neighborhood and community in New York City has access to quality, affordable housing. Speaker Adams’ plan is a critical step forward in building a more just and inclusive city for all New Yorkers.”

“I am proud to be a co-sponsor of the Speaker’s Fair Housing Framework to guide our City’s housing growth with equity and care,” said Council Member Amanda Farias. “Under Speaker Adams leadership, this Council is committed to ensuring every corner of our five boroughs contributes to addressing our City’s housing crisis. Equally as important, we are dedicated to increasing the preservation of truly affordable housing, anti-displacement resources, and neighborhood investments for underserved communities. I thank the Speaker for her leadership and look forward to voting in support of this bill today.”

“Cities and their residents thrive only when housing is accessible, affordable, and available to everyone. Unfortunately, for too long, New York City has failed to produce enough housing that aligns with both our population growth and equity needs. These factors have led us to the severe housing crisis we are currently experiencing, which creates other serious affordability and livability challenges for New Yorkers,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. “This legislation will help deepen affordability, increase the preservation of affordable housing, and invest in underserved communities. I am honored to be part of a City Council that is working to create a city that is built on principles of fairness, equity, and opportunity for all.”

“For far too long, creating affordable housing in New York City hasn’t been a priority for our City government. But today, this Council has proven that we are committed to creating housing for all New Yorkers, not just the rich and powerful,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “The Fair Housing Framework is a historic step forward in ending decades of housing policy that has punished working-class families and benefited rich developers. I’m proud to support Speaker Adams’ real efforts to ensure we’re advancing housing policy that puts the needs of every New Yorker front and center.”

“This City has needed a plan like the Fair Housing Framework for a long time,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson. “It is a bold plan that centers the needs of some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers, while meaningfully addressing both housing production and preservation. I commend Speaker Adrienne Adams for addressing New York City’s housing crisis with real solutions and look forward to working with her and my colleagues to deliver affordable and accessible housing for all.”

“Now more than ever the City Council needs to lead on housing,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse. “With evictions skyrocketing and an increasing number of households rent burdened, Speaker Adams’ Fair Housing Framework is a necessary bill that will help us set and meet citywide housing goals to alleviate these pressures. The Fair Housing Framework will take a citywide approach to the housing question and will ensure that both affordability and equity are the focus of our production strategies. I commend the Speaker on her leadership on this issue and am confident that this bill will help end homelessness and housing precarity in our City.”

“While housing is undoubtedly a fundamental human right, our city remains entrenched in an enduring housing crisis. True equity in this matter will only be achieved by establishing sustainable solutions for communities facing persistent challenges. It’s crucial that we create diverse opportunities for fair housing options, offering a range of choices for our community members,” said Council Member Althea Stevens. “I’m happy to stand in solidarity with my colleagues, and thankful for Madame Speaker’s dedication for demanding equity citywide and ensuring we are all doing our part, as our collaborative efforts are essential in addressing our city’s housing crisis.”

“This bill will have transformative impact in NYC, anchoring a commitment to fair housing through strategic assessments, community-specific production targets, and a robust equity framework,” said Council Member Nantasha Williams. “It charts a course for inclusive growth, safeguarding against displacement and championing affordable housing, embodying a vision for a more equitable and resilient city. I applaud Speaker Adams’ leadership on one of the most pressing issues facing the city.”

“ANHD has long called for a more equitable and intentional approach to planning in New York City, because we have seen how the status quo approach reinforces longstanding patterns of racial and economic inequality,” said Barika X. Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. “Today’s Fair Housing Plan legislation is an important step towards that goal, and presents a clear example of the type of nuanced, holistic planning it will take to move beyond our entrenched affordability and homelessness crisis and towards a future city where all of our communities have the opportunity to thrive.”

“Speaker Adrienne Adams’s Fair Housing Legislation will help move the city towards a more equitable and growing housing supply across the city,” said New York Housing Conference’s Rachel Fee. “By requiring transparency on housing needs and setting neighborhood targets, this legislation will hold the administration and the Council accountable to addressing our housing needs and sharing the work in every community.”

“For too long, our city has failed to conduct the kind of long-term planning necessary to ease our ongoing housing emergency and correct for decades of unfair housing law and practice,” said David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York. “The result has been a glut of high-end development in some neighborhoods, a concentration of affordable housing in others, and little production at all in many. We commend Speaker Adams on passing Intro 1031 and getting New York City to commit to planning for fair and equitable housing.”

“The Fair Housing Framework is a common-sense solution to one of New York’s perennial problems. Supply-and-demand is one of the basic tenets of economics,” said Mike Prohaska, Business Manager of the Mason Tenders’ District Council of Greater New York and Laborers Local 79. “This Framework addresses these two most pressing issues. New York City—being the greatest city in the world—is always in demand. To end our housing crisis, supply must meet demand. And every neighborhood in the city needs to be open to more housing. It’s reprehensible that a certain segment of our population considers affordable housing as something to be shunned. I applaud Speaker Adams for her courage, vision for the greater good of all New Yorkers!”

“When Speaker Adams introduced her ‘Fair Housing Framework’ in May our city was in a deep affordability crisis that demanded a bold response,” said Candis Tall, Executive Vice President and Political Director for 32BJ SEIU “Sadly, the crisis has not abated and the need for innovative solutions to the problem remains. By passing the Speaker’s legislation, the New York City Council will provide the City with a useful tool to ensure we are meeting New York’s housing needs. We thank Speaker Adams and the Council for prioritizing both sustainability and equity in their approach to new housing development. 32BJ looks forward to partnering with the Speaker and the Council in building a better New York that prioritizes affordable housing and the creation of family-sustaining jobs.”

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