Housing

Housing is a human right. New York City’s rising cost of living is endangering that right for families who have called their neighborhoods home for decades. Grace supports passing good cause eviction so residents of Lower Manhattan are not unjustly removed from their homes. She also supports protecting small, legacy property owners in Chinatown so that our community is not overrun by large property developers.  

Large property developers have spent decades displacing New York City’s working families. Grace does not support renewing the 421-a tax abatement – which was a giveaway to luxury developers – and will instead fight to ensure new housing programs create truly affordable housing in our community.

Rent regulation is not enough. Housing must become more affordable and landlords must be held accountable to ensure that people don’t just have the ability to stay in their homes, but a path to own their homes. Grace will fight for programs that expand down payment assistance for first-time home buyers to ensure affordable homeownership opportunities. And she’ll support legislation to audit landlords receiving tax credits to ensure they are providing their fair share of affordable apartments, including at 5 World Trade Center, the last state-owned site in Lower Manhattan.

Housing should be more than simply affordable - it should be clean, stable, and livable. The New York City Housing Authority is our city’s biggest landlord and a shamefully neglectful one. The families who call public housing their home deserve full funding of necessary capital projects and additional discretionary funding to meet communities’ unique needs, overseen by a task force of tenant association leaders and NYCHA officials to truly bring community voices to the table. 

We must continue to fight for additional funding for NYCHA's capital improvement projects to increase affordable housing for our most vulnerable citizens as long as the federal court monitor is in place through 2023. Everyone deserves their shot at their own American dream - but that can't be achieved if families are constantly worrying about the roof over their heads. Grace will fight to fully fund NYCHA.

Grace is proudly endorsed by Community Voices Heard.