Jonathan Geballe, moderator; Ted Houghton, Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Network; Moses Gates, Director of Competitive Housing Assistance for Multifamily Properties (CHAMP); and Marlene Nadle, moderator
Full House for VID Forum on Affordable Housing
Village Independent Democrats sponsored a free-wheeling forum, “Opening Doors: Affordable Housing in the de Blasio Era,” at St. John’s Lutheran Church Annex, on November 14.
The forum was inspired by Mayor-elect de Blasio’s pledge to build 200,000 units of affordable housing and end what he has termed the “Tale of Two Cities” that currently characterizes New York City: a few wealthy at the top, and the rest struggling for life’s basics, including housing the working class can afford.
Panelists Moses Gates, Director of Competitive Housing Assistance for Multifamily Properties (CHAMP), Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), and Ted Houghton, Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Network and Co-Chair of Housing First!, a coalition of over 30 advocacy groups reflected on the need for affordable housing and how VID can help the deBlasio administration meet its housing goals.
They covered a range of topics, from the controversial proposal to allow market-rate development on New York City public housing sites to the more arcane features of city, state and federal housing programs and housing tax credits.
V.I.D’s Marlene Nadle and Jonathan Geballe facilitated the program.
“Housing for New York City’s working- and middle-class is in danger of slipping away,” said Geballe. “We support our new mayor‘s vision of a city where people from all walks of life can live and work for the American dream. We look forward to working with dedicated advocates like Mr. Gates and Mr. Houghton to preserve the neighborhoods of the city we love.”
You can find more background and information on the topic here:
Real Affordable Housing Evaluation (ANHD Report)
Budget and Policy Initiatives (Supportive Housing Network)
Bloomberg News Coverage of DeBlasio and Affordable Housing issues – Nov. 21, 2013