NEW YORK—A coalition of grassroots homeless-rights organizations rallied at City Hall on Wednesday to call for legislation to inventory all vacant housing units in the city as a measure to fight homelessness.
The proposed bill, named “Annual Census of Vacant Properties” or Intro 48, was introduced by Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and is sponsored by 27 Council members. The legislation would require the city to conduct a census of every vacant building and lot on an annual basis, separating the results by borough and community districts.
About 100 people attended the rally in support of the proposed legislation, including activists, homeless people, and scholars.
“They say gentrify, we say occupy,” they shouted.
Advocates of the legislation say that it is a key step needed to solve the homelessness problem in New York City. The knowledge about vacant property in the city is required for subsequent allocation of available units, they say.
“If we pass Intro 48, the shelters will be out,” said representatives from Picture the Homeless, a group founded by homeless people with the goal of increasing visibility for improving homeless’ conditions, which organized the event.
Peter Marcuse, a professor of urban planning at Columbia University, spoke at the rally. He said that a study he participated in last May found a paradoxical situation, where a large number of homeless people co-exist with a large number of vacant houses. Marcuse cited city data collected from a housing and vacancy survey, according to which there are 138,000 vacant housing units that are not listed for rent or sale.
There are currently 35,559 homeless people in New York City, including 8,065 families with children, 1,328 adult families, and 8,123 single adults.
“One of the reasons this measure is so important is that we can find out why they [buildings] are vacant and what they can be used for,” said Marcuse. “There is a large number of them, and there are enough [units] to provide housing to everybody in New York that needs them,” he said, adding that Intro 48 is paramount for restoring the city administration’s role in allocating housing.
The Department of Homeless Services currently provides short-term emergency shelters, re-housing support, and special programs to battle the homelessness problem in New York.
The proposed bill, named “Annual Census of Vacant Properties” or Intro 48, was introduced by Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and is sponsored by 27 Council members. The legislation would require the city to conduct a census of every vacant building and lot on an annual basis, separating the results by borough and community districts.
About 100 people attended the rally in support of the proposed legislation, including activists, homeless people, and scholars.
“They say gentrify, we say occupy,” they shouted.
Advocates of the legislation say that it is a key step needed to solve the homelessness problem in New York City. The knowledge about vacant property in the city is required for subsequent allocation of available units, they say.
“If we pass Intro 48, the shelters will be out,” said representatives from Picture the Homeless, a group founded by homeless people with the goal of increasing visibility for improving homeless’ conditions, which organized the event.
Peter Marcuse, a professor of urban planning at Columbia University, spoke at the rally. He said that a study he participated in last May found a paradoxical situation, where a large number of homeless people co-exist with a large number of vacant houses. Marcuse cited city data collected from a housing and vacancy survey, according to which there are 138,000 vacant housing units that are not listed for rent or sale.
There are currently 35,559 homeless people in New York City, including 8,065 families with children, 1,328 adult families, and 8,123 single adults.
“One of the reasons this measure is so important is that we can find out why they [buildings] are vacant and what they can be used for,” said Marcuse. “There is a large number of them, and there are enough [units] to provide housing to everybody in New York that needs them,” he said, adding that Intro 48 is paramount for restoring the city administration’s role in allocating housing.
The Department of Homeless Services currently provides short-term emergency shelters, re-housing support, and special programs to battle the homelessness problem in New York.
