Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Remarks on affordability mismatch and need for deeper subsidies
1:59:05
·
116 sec
Council Member Sanchez addresses the significant mismatch between the affordability levels of subsidized housing and the actual needs of community members in areas like the West Bronx. She emphasizes the need for more creative solutions and deeper subsidies to reach lower tiers of affordability.
- The council member acknowledges the frustration caused by long vacancies in re-rental units.
- She highlights the need for more city, state, and federal subsidies to achieve truly affordable housing.
- The council member mentions recent legislative efforts, such as the voucher legislation, as part of the solution.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
1:59:05
Thank you for that.
1:59:06
And I I also just wanna thank UNHP.
1:59:09
I wanna thank, the members of Aura, for for meeting with me in 2022, for for highlighting this conversation or this this problem.
1:59:18
I think, I understand that the article that was written about the issue of rerentals and the massive delays was one of the most highly viewed and clicked on articles in Gothamist in in sort of recent memory.
1:59:31
And so it just highlights that your experience with re rentals sitting vacant for sixteen months at a time is just one that frustrates New Yorkers and just highlights, you know, the problems, the challenges with Housing Connect.
1:59:44
And I do wanna wanna highlight, Jamelea, your points about that mismatch, the deep, deep mismatch between the level of subsidy that the City Of New York and the federal government and everywhere in the state government, the level of support that we're subsidizing for affordable apartments is just nowhere near doesn't get us anywhere near the affordability levels that we need to, to reach members of our community, right, up in the in the West Bronx.
2:00:10
And so, you know, we have been, trying to push the administrate administration, HPD, to be more creative in getting to those lower tiers of affordability.
2:00:20
Of course, this council passed passed the voucher legislation that would provide more vouchers to to low income people, and and that's part of the solution.
2:00:28
Also, HPD Capital getting getting deeper.
2:00:31
But I just wanna welcome your your partnership.
2:00:33
We know this is a problem of dollars and cents.
2:00:35
Right?
2:00:36
We we partner in the city of New York with the private market and and nonprofits, but also the private market to make ends meet for buildings.
2:00:44
And so to get more affordable, to get more deeply affordable, we have to put more money in.
2:00:48
And so I just wanna wanna emphasize that for the public and also welcome your partnership on how do we how do we build toward, you know, applying the right amount of pressure to get that outcome that we need, more affordable apartments.