Home

Affordable Housing

Affordable housing development must seek a better balance between market rate and affordable housing. Pioneers who have built our neighborhoods must not be forced to leave because they are victims of their own success, their housing should remain affordable so that they may realize the fruits of their labor.

As former Chief of Staff for Mitchell-Lama Subcommittee Chair, Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing, I know the current issues facing affordable housing. I had the opportunity to work on the next generation of progressive legislation that would scale certain rent regulations to the consumer price index, so that new laws are always current and housing remains affordable for generations to come. But there is more to do and as your City Council member I will continue this work by reforming rent regulation, using market indices like the consumer price index, and expanding affordable housing.

In addition to fixing affordable housing and rent regulation laws, we must also create a centralized affordable housing resource. Affordable housing must be transparent, with easily accessible and searchable lists by address and qualification, rather than having to search through over a dozen different programs and agencies. We must open affordable housing by creating an easy centralized application process. Lastly, the waiting lists for all affordable housing must be publicly available to provide accountability where these waiting lists have been previously abused.

Billions of Dollars in Government Subsidies for Affordable Housing Would Be Accountable under New Bill from Kallos, Williams, Mendez & Brewer

“Our City is in desperate need of affordable housing and we cannot allow landlords to hide even a single unit of it from the public,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “We need a full accounting of every affordable unit of housing in the City and we need regular monitoring and strict enforcement. If we’re going to give away billions of dollars in incentives and property tax reductions to developers in exchange for building affordable units, we need to know where every single one of those units is and ensure struggling New Yorkers have the tools to find, apply and get affordable housing.”

Testimony on Zoning for Quality and Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing to the Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

Thank you Borough President Gale Brewer and our Community Board members for their leadership on these land use matters. You are the voice of the people and we are stronger together. I am Council Member Ben Kallos, @BenKallos on social media, I represent the Upper East Side, Midtown East, Roosevelt Island and East Harlem, I grew up here and I want to be able to afford to raise a family and grow old in this city.