Page 10 - The Indian EYE 080924

COMMUNITY OP-ED AUGUST 09, 2024 | The Indian Eye 10

Back-to-Back Years of Building

More Housing and Making Our City

More Affordable

For the second year in a row, the city has produced the most supportive housing and housing for formerly homeless
New Yorkers. And, this year, our administration has also financed the most and new affordable homes in history

ERIC ADAMS

f there is one issue that unites
New Yorkers from every walk of
Ilife, it’s housing.
Our city’s rental vacancy rate is
at a historic low of 1.4 percent, which
shows how few homes in our city are
available for rent; and half of all New
Yorkers pay more than 30 percent of
their income on rent. The numbers Our ‘City of Yes for Housing Opportunity’ initiative is another tool we have to produce over 108,000 new homes that our city needs and deserves
do not lie: our city is facing a housing
shortage crisis that effects the cost of in the next 15 years (File/Agency photo)
living and that must be addressed as
swiftly and aggressively as possible. ered on moving a record number of 50,000 units over the next 15 years in pressive, more importantly, behind
The solution to this is simple: to homeless New Yorkers into perma- the Metro North station area in the each of these record-breaking num-
build more new, affordable homes nently affordable housing through Bronx, Central Brooklyn, Midtown bers is a human impact and story. I
and get more people into the hous- the highest usage of City Fighting South in Manhattan, and Long Is- know what it is like to live without
ing we already have. I’m proud to Homelessness and Eviction Preven- land City and Jamaica in Queens. As the security of housing. Growing up
say, we have done just that and more tion Supplement (CityFHEPS) hous- we work to advance each of these on the edge of homelessness, my sib-
AGAIN this past fiscal year. To meet ing vouchers. And, in total, our city bold proposals, we are calling on our lings and I had to take trash bags full
this moment head on, our adminis- agencies financed a combined 28,944 partners at the City Council to help of clothes to school because there
tration has achieved back-to-back affordable and public housing units us solve this housing crisis by saying were days where we couldn’t be sure
record-breaking years of both creat- in Fiscal Year 2024 through new con- “yes” to more affordable housing. where we would sleep that night.
ing and connecting New Yorkers to struction and preservation initiatives. Just last month, together with That is why, from day one, our ad-
affordable housing. This is a game changer for work- Speaker Adams and the City Coun- ministration has been committed to
For the second year in a row, the ing people, families, immigrants, cil, we invested a historic $2 billion making this city more affordable and
city has produced the most support- young people, and others in need. in capital funds to the Department livable.
ive housing and housing for former- While today we celebrate our of Housing Preservation and Devel- Every day, we are fighting to
ly homeless New Yorkers. And, this progress, tomorrow we need to get opment and to public housing at NY- make sure New Yorkers don’t have
year, our administration has also fi- back to work and aim even higher. CHA. This brings our investment in to go through what I went through,
nanced the most and new affordable Our ‘City of Yes for Housing Oppor- affordable housing over the current by building more homes and con-
homes in history. tunity’ initiative is another tool we 10-year plan to more than 26-bil- necting more New Yorkers to homes
Following decades of disin- have to produce over 108,000 new lion-dollars — a new record level. I we already have. Together, we can
vestment, we have converted 3,678 homes that our city needs and de- know the City Council understands and will build a city that is more af-
New York City Housing Authority serves in the next 15 years. Addition- the importance of taking action and fordable and more accessible for all.
(NYCHA) apartments into newly ally, we have advanced several robust look forward to our work together. Eric Adams is the Mayor of
renovated residences. We have deliv- planning efforts to deliver more than But while the numbers are im- New York City, NY

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