AFFORDABILITY FOR ALL

Every New Yorker deserves a home they can afford. Today, New York City stands at a crossroads, battling a housing crisis that threatens the fabric of our neighborhoods and the future of our families. For generations, this city has been a beacon of opportunity, diversity, and resilience. But skyrocketing rents, decaying public housing, and the loss of affordable options are forcing too many New Yorkers out of the city they love. This crisis calls for bold, transformative action. Harvey Epstein has a clear, actionable plan to restore New York’s promise of affordability, equity, and opportunity for all.

Harvey is running for City Council to be a leader in both expanding affordable housing and protecting tenants across the city. Harvey has a robust and innovative seven point plan to fix the affordability crisis we face. This is not just a plan; it’s a commitment to a New York that works for everyone. A city where developers give back to the communities they build in, where public land serves public good, and where no one is priced out of the opportunity to live, work, and age with dignity. With this vision, we can create a city that doesn’t just survive but thrives—one that sets the standard for urban living in the 21st century. This is the fight for New York’s future, and we are ready to win it.

  • Let’s bring back the New York dream. Revive the Mitchell-Lama program and build modern, sustainable housing for the middle class. The state has provided necessary capital funds, now we need to put that into action.  Permanently affordable, accessible, and built to last—because the middle class deserves a future in our city.

  • Empty offices? Let’s turn them into homes. By converting underused commercial space into housing including a substantial portion as permanently affordable apartments, we’ll create vibrant neighborhoods where everyone has a place to thrive. The program exists, now we need to incentivize private property owners to make the needed investment to build this critical housing.

  • More development, more affordability. Every new project should give back to the city by including homes for low- and middle-income families and mandating affordable housing in every new building in our city. Growth should benefit everyone—no exceptions. In addition, we need to preserve what affordable housing we have and ensure they remain permanently affordable.

  • Land for the people, not for profit. By placing publicly owned land into land trusts dedicated to building 100% permanently affordable housing, we can shield these developments from market speculation.

  • Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC)s are the soul of affordable homeownership in NYC. We’ll protect these co-ops from predatory threats, expand the tax exemption and ensure they stay affordable and vibrant for generations.

  • NYCHA needs more than a facelift—it needs a lifeline. Fully funded, fully livable public housing for 400,000 New Yorkers is a must. Dignity starts with a safe, healthy home. This requires a commitment and investment in the capital needs of our existing public housing that must start now.

  • Our seniors helped build this city. Now let’s make sure they can stay. From accessibility upgrades to in-home care, ensuring our seniors have access to rental assistance programs and are supported against harassment, we are fighting to keep older New Yorkers in their homes and their neighborhoods—where they belong.

Harvey’s seven-point housing platform is designed to address the core challenges of affordability, equity, and sustainability. By building 21st-century middle-class housing, converting underused commercial spaces into homes, and expanding mandatory inclusionary housing, we’re making it clear: housing is a human right, and New York must lead the way in protecting it. We’ll go even further by expanding the use of community land trusts, recapitalizing public housing, and protecting vital assets like Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) cooperatives. Together, these strategies will rebuild the foundation of a city where families can grow, communities can thrive, and the most vulnerable among us—including our seniors—are safeguarded.