News & Events

June

2023

22

Community Groups, Tenants, and Electeds Rally at City Hall for Legislation, Funding to Expand Community Land Trusts

In the wake of Albany’s failure to address the affordable housing crisis, more than 50 community, housing, and environmental justice groups and elected officials gathered at City Hall Park to call on the City to enact the Community Land Act, a slate of bills to expand community control of land and permanently-affordable housing in low-income Black and brown neighborhoods. The coalition also urged the City Council to fund the Community Land Trust (CLT) Initiative at $3 million in the FY24 budget, to support 20 groups organizing CLTs across the five boroughs.

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June

2023

1

City Limits: In a First, the Public Got to Weigh in on NYC’s Banking Decisions

City Limits — “Too often we think banking has nothing to do with democracy,” said State Senate Banking Committee Chair James Sanders at last week’s hearing of the New York City Banking Commission.

But banking and democracy were on full, if not always fulsome, display at the hearing as the commission decided which banks would be eligible to receive more than $100 billion in annual city agency deposits over the next two years. For the first time, the commission accepted public testimony before voting on which banks could hold city dollars.

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May

2023

25

New Yorkers Demand a Public Bank at First-Ever Hearing on Banks Eligible to Hold Billions in NYC Deposits

Dozens of New Yorkers representing community groups across the city testified today at the first-ever public hearing before the NYC Banking Commission on the designation of banks eligible to hold municipal deposits. A familiar refrain at the hearing was the call for a public bank to hold city funds and reinvest in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that the big banks routinely fail to serve.

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May

2023

17

110+ Groups Call on Mayor and City Council Speaker to Address Affordability Crisis in Wake of State Inaction on Housing

A coalition of 113 community and affordable housing groups delivered a letter to New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams, urging them to take bold and immediate action to address the city’s affordability crisis. Citing the state’s failure to strengthen tenant protections or pass other housing justice measures in the recent budget, the letter calls on City leaders to enact the Community Land Act – a set of bills to bring land and housing into permanently-affordable community control, through community land trusts (CLTs) and other nonprofit social housing models.

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May

2023

4

NYN Media: New York City Council Pushes Affordable Housing Package

NYN Media — With over half of New York City tenants spending nearly a third of their income on rent, affordable housing is crucial to ensuring a safe future for New Yorkers. That’s why advocates in have rallied and thrown their support behind the Community Land Act, a package of bills before the New York City Council that would provide nonprofits and community land trusts with the resources to develop permanently affordable housing. Community land trusts hold land under community control, thus guaranteeing the community derives benefits from it. Spearheading this campaign is the NYC Community Land Initiative, a coalition of housing organizations trying to expand social housing. 

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May

2023

2

Groups, Electeds Hold Press Conference at NYS Capitol Calling for Enactment of New York Public Banking Act

As the NYS Legislature turns its attention to its post-budget priorities, community and labor groups called on Albany lawmakers to enact the New York Public Banking Act (S1754/A3352) this legislative session. The bill, sponsored by Senate Banks Committee Chair James Sanders Jr. and Assembly Banks Committee Chair Pamela J. Hunter, creates a safe and appropriate regulatory framework for local public banking.

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