Social Housing Supporters Revive Push to Boost Nonprofit & Community Ownership
The bills before the City Council would, among other things, give qualifying nonprofits priority to buy privately held residential real estate that comes up for sale, and receive grants to develop affordable housing on government land. They would also establish a land bank through which the city could acquire distressed properties for public benefit.
“When you own the land, you decide how and what’s developed on the land and how it’s dispersed out into the community,” said Debra Ack, special projects coordinator at the East New York Community Land Trust.
