Views from the Northwest Bronx

The UNHP 2020 Affordable Housing Webinar is set for Tuesday, September 22nd. The registration link can be found in the blog post. The webinar is dedicated to exploring issues raised during this COVID-19 crisis and its impact on affordable housing, multifamily finance, and neighborhood needs. It is also UNHP's only fundraiser for the year and we are seeking donors to support our work.

On July 28th, UNHP held its annual Building Indicator Project meeting. Jacob Udell, Data and Research Coordinator, presented for UNHP about trends in the housing market. Elizabeth Oakley and Kim Darga from HPD discussed the importance of preservation and different tools HPD has to bolster affordable housing in NYC. Click to read a summary of UNHP’s presentation.

Well-documented long-standing income, racial and ethnic disparities as well as health issues in the Bronx led to a disproportionate number of cases in the borough. 

In this post, we will focus on financing trends among owners and investors in private, rent-stabilized housing in New York City. Below is an attempt to capture some of the changes in the housing finance landscape over the past number of months and particularly since the beginning of the current public health crisis. Without predicting the future, we hope to raise a number of questions as to where that market is headed and how tenants might be affected, with an emphasis on data and  examples from the Bronx. 

Among the many health and economic concerns facing New York City during the Covid-19 Pandemic is the ability of affordable housing projects to continue to provide the safe and quality housing that residents deserve. With massive unemployment requests and businesses closing indefinitely, rent collections are projected to drop significantly.

The COVID 19 pandemic has shown that community health is national health is global health. Community-based healthcare networks, like Bronx Community Health Network, Union Community Health Center, and Morris Heights Health Center, offer both medical care and services that Bronx families need to stay well and treat chronic illnesses, like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and HIV.

We always understood that some people had a hard time with the Community Reinvestment Act, which passed in 1977.

On Friday, December 13th, Fordham University celebrated the 15th Anniversary of the Paul D. Coverdell US Peace Corps Fellowship Program at the University. UNHP as a community partner and internship site was invited and acknowledged at the luncheon.

The NWBCCC Reinvestment Project and UNHP are featured in this essay by Gregory Jost, a former UNHP staff member, and valued colleague. The essay was originally published by Urban Ominibus and developed out of Greg's research for a book on redlining in the Bronx. It demonstrates how data was an important organizing tool in the early days of the Community Reinvestment Act and remains important today as displacement and speculation threaten the Bronx and other low-income neighborhoods in NYC.

29 Fordham University and Manhattan College student volunteers + 10 community partners + 2 housing workshops + 151 Bronxites + UNHP = 1 productive day for all at UNHP's 3rd annual Bronxtober Resource Fest!