What to Know
- New York City created and preserved more than 24,500 affordable homes last year, breaking a city record that stood for almost 30 years
- The more than $1 billion effort preserved over 17,300 affordable homes and created 7,200 new ones
- The city launched a new housing website and plans to promote resources to help people apply for housing, fight eviction and freeze rent
New York City created and preserved more than 24,500 affordable homes last year, breaking a city record that stood for almost 30 years, Mayor Bill de Blasio says.
The previous record, which was set in 1989, was over 23,100 homes.
The more than $1 billion effort preserved over 17,300 affordable homes and created 7,200 new ones — with half of the apartments having affordable rents for residents making roughly $33,400 per year as an individual, or $43,000 for a family of three.
In the last four years, the city has preserved or created over 87,500 affordable dwellings, housing nearly 164,000 people, according to de Blasio.
"We are putting keys in the hands of New Yorkers who need affordable housing. We're making sure they can keep that affordable housing for the long term," de Blasio said.
De Blasio has made affordable housing a focal point in his two mayoral campaigns — setting a goal to preserve and create 300,000 affordable apartments by 2026.
Local
Activists have pressed the de Blasio administration to build additional affordable housing for senior citizens — protesting outside City Hall in October, calling on the mayor to do more.
After being re-elected last month, de Blasio, a Democrat, announced an affordable housing plan update that focuses more on the senior community and includes new homeownership programs and getting proposals for housing on vacant units in existing affordable complexes.
The city also launched a new housing website and plans to unveil ads to promote resources to help people apply for affordable housing, fight eviction and freeze rent.
