NY Daily News: The U.S. Must Solve NYC's Housing Crisis

Many New Yorkers have watched with fascination how the presidential race has unfolded. Understandably, there’s been discussion about which candidate is better on the issues, from the strength of democracy, to healthcare access, to immigration.

Those are all worthy issues. All major party candidates must propose solutions to one of the biggest local challenges facing New Yorkers: the lack of affordable, safe and quality housing. Many have heard this news before: skyrocketing rents, very little inventory, stalled housing production, and no coordinated response by any level of government.

It’s no surprise that solving the housing crisis doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. It’s just not a political winner. We rarely think of affordable housing as a human right, but rather a game of winners and losers. Meaning, if someone nabs a Section 8 voucher after years of waiting, they’re “lucky.” But if someone ends up in Housing Court just because they can’t pay the rent and avoid being evicted, they “weren’t one of the lucky ones.”

Listen, I get it. We live in a system that allows the market to solve all of our problems — so we’re taught. The reality, though, is that without enough rent-stabilized housing, the issue gets much worse. If we are going to prevent displacement and a mass exodus of folks leaving this city, we’ve got to act.

Currently, the median rent across New York City is $4,500 per month. That is more than 150% higher than the national average. And it shows no signs of slowing down. Why is this happening? Our housing stock is too low. Builders aren’t building or preserving enough to meet demand.

The city has tried to solve this problem in recent years, including recently opening up the Section 8 waitlist to new applicants for the first time in 15 years. However, there were only 19,000 available slots with more than 630,000 applicants.

The city also enacted the first mandatory inclusionary housing program. And, with new racial impact studies before major land use decisions are made, and a temporary rent freeze during the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt like a reprieve for hundreds of thousands of tenants. But, clearly, local action has been just that: a temporary reprieve.

The state has also made some progress, including passing forms of Good Cause protections, and considering ways for tenants to become owners through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). So far, none of this has worked. And, keep in mind, the state also failed to create a new rental subsidy program in the most recent budget.

You know the Housing Connect lottery, or ads for other federally subsidized housing that no one seemingly gets? Even those “winners” often pay much more than they should in rent because of sky-high AMI calculations. According to the Association of Neighborhood and Housing Development, current AMI levels are $20,000 higher than New York City’s median household income.

As the city and state make some strides, the federal government must do more, now. I recently joined experts during two trips to Washington, where we met with White House officials, the New York congressional delegation, and leadership at the Department of Housing and Urban Development with a seemingly simple solution to much of this crisis.

The federal government must create localized, neighborhood-based Area Median Income (AMI) and Fair Market Rent (FMR) calculations that meet New Yorkers where they are, in their neighborhoods. The federal government must also infuse many more dollars — in the billions — to bring our public housing system of 400,000 New Yorkers up to par.

With our housing crisis worsening, we cannot afford to waste anymore time. Each day without further action means costs keep rising and more people will flee our city and state. Now is the time for all major party candidates and our federal partners to focus on our bread and butter — ending our housing crisis for good.

Smith is executive director of Communities Resist, a housing legal services and organizing group. He’s also the former New York City first deputy public advocate.