More than 300 Brooklyn residents this week jammed into Brooklyn Borough Hall to attend the first City Council oversight hearing in seven years on Mitchell-Lama housing, a statewide program created in 1955 that supported the construction of 105,000 units of affordable housing — of which 18,000 are located in Brooklyn — for middle-income residents.
Unlike public housing, where a government agency operates developments and is dependent on government funding, the Mitchell-Lama program is designed to encourage private developers to invest in housing developments that are subject to government regulations.
In recent years, the program has been threatened by property owners converting units to market-rate and subsequently imposing dramatic rent increases. Between 2003 and 2009, the number of Mitchell-Lama complexes decreased from 135 to 97 because of privatization and buy-outs.
“Mitchell-Lama was one of the most effective affordable housing programs ever implemented in New York City,” said City Council Member Jumaane Williams (East Flatbush, Flatbush, Midwood),chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings.
“Now, the Mitchell-Lama program is in a state of crisis and is rapidly disappearing. It’s unacceptable that our seniors and working families appear to receive little information while they try to find affordable homes and current tenants seem to get minimal help when they face harassment and displacement in Mitchell-Lama apartments. Based on yesterday’s hearing, it’s clear that HPD has many more questions to answer and I look forward to working with them to ask those questions, find answers and implement real solutions,” he added.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who hosted the meeting, said preserving the Mitchell-Lama program is a signature component of his affordable housing agenda. Through his Brooklyn Mitchell-Lama Task Force, which comprises community leaders living in developments across the borough, he has worked to persuade the State Legislature and the City Council to protect at-risk units from privatization.
In his written testimony, Adams suggested regular oversight hearings to hold the City’s Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) agency accountable. He also suggested increased low-cost financing from the City’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC) for capital improvements to developments, and the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to establish its own low-cost financing program for Mitchell-Lama housing.
“New York City — and Brooklyn in particular — is facing an affordable housing crisis, and there is no better place to focus on the preservation of these precious units than in our Mitchell-Lama complexes,” wrote Adams. “Attacks on [this] affordable housing stock are unacceptable; HPD and DHCR must do more to support these developments and protect the affordability for current and future residents — not [throwing] roadblocks to affordability through policy changes.”
Council members and affordable housing advocates who attended the meeting also spoke about how Mitchell-Lama developments are a critical part of our affordable housing infrastructure.
“Local elected officials witness the destabilization and pain caused by displacement every day and are duty-bound to exercise all of the powers of our office, and even fight for new tools, to support residents in remaining in the homes and communities they love,” said Bedford-Stuyvesant City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. “Today’s field hearing on Mitchell-Lama at Brooklyn Borough Hall was an important step, because different housing types pose different challenges.”
“The destabilization of rent laws and programs meant to protect tenants and preserve the affordability of housing units in communities across the City of New York has displaced thousands of families and created an uncertain future for countless others,” said Fort Greene/Clinton Hill City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo. “Through increased City Council oversight and the accountability of agencies such as HPD, we can assess and address the existing challenges threatening the sustainability and affordability of Mitchell-Lama developments.”
“As we focus on the need to construct more affordable housing, we must not forget about the need to preserve the affordable housing that has existed in our city for decades,’ said East New York, Cypress Hills, Bushwick City Council Member Rafael L. Espinal, Jr. “These preservation efforts must include Mitchell-Lama developments, which are a vital asset that we cannot afford to lose. As we continue to evaluate the Mayor’s affordable housing proposals, we must ensure that we also evaluate ways to support the existing Mitchell-Lama program well into the future so that many more working class New Yorkers can benefit from this type of housing.”
Jen Berkley, lead organizer for the grassroots organization Tenants & Neighbors, said the large turnout didn’t surprise her.
“We know there are serious concerns among Mitchell-Lama tenants about their housing and are grateful this opportunity has prompted much-needed attention on their issues. Any affordable housing plan for our city must include the preservation of current Mitchell-Lama buildings and innovative approaches to recapturing lost units,” she said.
