“Time and time again, Council Members have told us that the number one issue facing people across the city is the lack of affordable housing in our neighborhoods. As we’ve learned from Councilstat, the program we use to track constituent complaints across Council districts, the need for more subsidized housing in New York is a concern that cuts across economic and geographic lines and unifies people as they seek to keep their homes affordable.”

“I have long advocated for sensible solutions that will empower tenants and protect middle class families. Today’s launch of the NYU Furman Center’s Subsidized Housing Information Project (SHIP) database is an important step forward in making sure tenants have the information they need to anticipate and prepare for when their affordable housing subsidies are set to run out.”

“The SHIP database is a comprehensive listing with information on nearly 235,000 units of privately-owned subsidized rental housing throughout New York City. Created through a partnership with the City Council and using information from the Department of Housing Development and Preservation, the Housing Development Corporation, the New York State Homes and Community Renewal, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this database will provide tenants, advocates and community-based organizations with the information they need to organize and protect the future of affordable housing programs in neighborhoods across the city.”

“The SHIP database will help expand our efforts to preserve affordable housing in New York City by bringing a more proactive approach to how we identify affordable housing units at-risk of losing their subsidies. It will give us a holistic picture of where subsidized housing is located within the five boroughs, and will help guide the Council as we engage in policy discussion about what we need to do to protect our housing preservation programs.”

“Before SHIP was developed, there was no official system for tracking affordable housing in New York City. SHIP will help level the playing field for tenants and advocates by providing them with the one-stop information they need to protect and save their affordable housing units.”

“Maintaining the affordable housing that we have, and identifying new opportunities to bring affordable housing units to our neighborhoods is essential to keeping New York City a vibrant and diverse place to live. Through the Council partnership with the Furman Center and city and state housing agencies, we will be able to empower tenants with the essential knowledge they need to keep their homes affordable.”

To access the SHIP database, visit http://furmancenter.org/data/search.
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