Housing Affordability in Concourse/Highbridge: The Promise of Affordable Housing May Bring False Hope

This community profile takes an in-depth look at “affordable housing” in the Concourse/High­bridge neighborhood of the Bronx—one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City. A large percentage of new affordable housing units are financially out of reach for low-income residents in the neighborhood. Could new plans for development and affordable housing in the Jerome Avenue Corridor of the South Bronx destabilize this already vulnerable community?…

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What Happens to Homeless Families in Redeveloped East New York?

Struggles with homelessness and poverty are not new to East New York. It is the largest feeder of families into New York City’s shelter system and one of the first neighborhoods designated for affordable housing redevelopment. This new community profile examines the impact this redevelopment may have on the neighborhood’s poorest residents. Will it prevent more families from becoming homeless or are these “affordable units” out of reach for the families who need them most?…

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Why New York City’s Homeless Family Policies Keep Failing

At present, more than 12,000 families and about 23,000 children reside in New York City homeless shelters. New York City has built more affordable housing, has dispersed more rental vouchers, and has established more prevention programs than any other city in the country. So, why, after 30 years, do the number of families residing in shelters continue to grow?…

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Past the Tipping Point? Emerging Signs of Community Vulnerability in Sunset Park

As New York City becomes increasingly unaffordable and affordable housing becomes scarcer, working class communities are showing signs of vulnerability: growth in poverty, a decline in educational attainment, and overcrowding in rental units. This community profile examines the growing instability in one such community—Sunset Park, Brooklyn—which was the most overcrowded neighborhood and fourth most rent-burdened community in New York City in 2012, yet has seen few families turning to the shelter system.…

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