Fair Housing’s Next Chapter is Being Written in NYC Libraries this Summer

HPD launching citywide public engagement to develop Where We Live NYC 2025, an update to the city’s comprehensive fair housing plan first published in 2020. It is starting with fair housing displays, events, and resources at 21 libraries across the five boroughs 
 
Renewed focus on the fair housing plan comes as the Adams Admin’s signature fair housing proposal, City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, gains momentum on its path to City Council approval

 The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is collaborating with the City’s three library systems to ensure that New Yorkers shape and are informed about The City’s fair housing plan. Starting August 1, New Yorkers in all five boroughs are encouraged to take part in this process by engaging with interactive displays, events, and resources in 21 branches of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), New York Public Library (NYPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL) systems. Informed by feedback gained through this public engagement, HPD, and its agency partners are updating the Where We Live NYC comprehensive fair housing plan.   

The five-year plan, released in 2020, included 81 commitments, over 90% of which are complete or in progress. As the City continues to advance its fair housing strategies – most notably the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendments, it is asking New Yorkers to participate in visioning for the next five-year plan.  

“New Yorkers, we need to hear your voice so you can help us build more equitable, affordable housing,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “As our city faces a historic housing crisis, our administration is playing its part by proudly say ‘yes’ to more housing in our backyards, neighborhoods, and communities, and investing record amounts to preserve and build more affordable homes. But, we are not stopping there. ‘Where We Live NYC’ is an opportunity to do even more and create a robust, comprehensive fair housing plan. To meet the moment, we want you to share your story, offer feedback, and let us know your vision for housing in New York City. The housing crisis may seem daunting, but together, we can build a better, brighter future for all.”  

This 6-week campaign at City libraries is part of a broader public engagement plan that includes conversations with fair housing stakeholder organizations, public workshops, and a collaboration with youth filmmakers to produce videos on fair housing issues. Informed by feedback from this public engagement, HPD and its agency partners are updating the Where We Live NYC plan to include new data on segregation and housing discrimination, as well as bold new strategies to advance opportunity for all New Yorkers. The updated plan is set to be released in fall 2025.  

The Where We Live NYC 2025 plan will be the first step towards implementing Local Law 167, which establishes a “Fair Housing Framework for New York City and was signed by the mayor in 2023. The new law helps to ensure that every neighborhood plays an equitable role in addressing the city’s housing crisis through community district-level housing production targets and an assessment of unique community housing needs. The bill was sponsored by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and will be a critical tool in the administration’s continued efforts to combat the housing and affordability crisis, as well as to address systemic inequities in housing production.   

Where We Live NYC

The Where We Live NYC comprehensive fair housing plan was released in 2020 after extensive community participation and data and policy analysis. The plan laid out six fair housing goals for the City: 

1. Combat persistent, complex discrimination with expanded resources and protections  

2. Facilitate equitable housing development in New York City and the region  

3. Preserve affordable housing and prevent displacement of long-standing residents  

4. Enable more effective use of rental assistance benefits, especially in amenity-rich neighborhoods  

5. Create more independent and integrated living options for people with disabilities  

6. Make equitable investments to address the neighborhood-based legacy of discrimination, segregation, and concentrated poverty 

The City made 81 commitments inspired by these goals, over 90 percent of which are either completed or in progress. Where We Live NYC commitments will make our city more inclusive and equitable; from the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendment designed to create a little more housing in every neighborhood, to the Fair Chance for Housing Act which prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of arrest or conviction record. For an update on Where We Live NYC commitments, check out the Plan’s progress report. The City remains committed to advancing the Plan’s original six fair housing goals and will use them to guide new actions undertaken in the 2025 Plan update.  

Library Campaign Details  

This summer, through collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), New York Public Library (NYPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL) systems, HPD invites New Yorkers to learn about fair housing and shape Where We Live NYC 2025. Starting in August, New Yorkers in all five boroughs will encounter interactive displays, events, and resources in 21 library branches. Feedback from this public engagement will inform the focus and commitments outlined in Where We Live NYC 2025. 

From Queens’ Rockaway Peninsula to the north Bronx, 21 library branches will host interactive displays that ask New Yorkers to share the barriers they’ve faced finding or keeping stable, quality housing.  As trusted, neighborhood institutions frequented by New Yorkers of all ages, incomes, and races, libraries are an ideal to venue to engage a broad range of New Yorkers. The displays ask the public to identify which goals matter most to them and how the City should act on these goals. This feedback will help shape the focus of the upcoming Plan and the City’s commitments. New Yorkers who want to share their experiences and perspective should check out the list of participating library branches or submit their responses online.  

In addition to asking for public input, HPD is collaborating with the City’s Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) to bring fair housing education sessions to branches in each library system. New Yorkers can engage directly with fair housing experts and learn about their rights. Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) events will include targeted training for young adults who may be entering the housing market for the first time. Find an event near you.  

City of Yes for Housing Opportunity 

The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative will advance important fair housing goals first identified in the 2020 Where We Live NYC plan. That plan committed the City to facilitate more equitable housing development by increasing housing options, particularly for low-income New Yorkers, in amenity-rich neighborhoods. City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposes to modernize the city’s zoning regulations to create opportunity to build more affordable housing and allow a little more housing in every neighborhood – including those that have not contributed their fair share to the City’s housing needs. The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendments will help ensure that all residents have access to safe and dignified housing in the neighborhoods they choose.  

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city’s housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods – because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love. We maintain building and resident safety and health, create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability, and engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity. HPD is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, Mayor Adams’ comprehensive housing framework. To learn more about what we do, visit nyc.gov/hpd and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.