The housing crisis in NYC has reached a level of emergency.

• Average rent is $4,024

• More than 104,000 in shelters nightly

• Over 200,000 Black people displaced over the last 20 years

The legislative definition of an "affordable" development is not affordable to the working class and poor New Yorker. Currently the definition of what is affordable housing is mandated by the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy. This was passed by the city council in 2016, and is still in effect today.

Option 1: 25% of residential floor area must be affordable at 60% of AMI, at least 10% at 40% of AMI. Option 2: 30% of residential floor area must be affordable at 80% of AMI or lower.

The AMI is $145,800 in NYC, which includes the 5 boroughs, Rockland and Westchester counties. AMI is inflated because HUD calculates it using incomes from wealthy suburbs like Westchester and Rockland, so what counts as "affordable" is based on white suburban wealth, not Black working-class reality.

AMI of: Brownsville: $43,460 Harlem: $59,176 East New York: $51,220 South Bronx: $48,610 or $34,908 Bed-Stuy: $78,040 Jamaica, Queens: $78,090

NYC real median household income = $76,607 (without Rockland and Westchester)

None of these Black neighborhoods could afford the current definition of affordability in NYC. And only 25–30% of units would even be "affordable." The other 70–75% can be whatever these corrupt developers want.

We want to make housing truly affordable by doing 2 things:

1. Make rent at minimum affordable to a household making ≈$47,000 (rent ceiling)

2. For a development to be deemed affordable, 70% of units must be at this rent requirement (currently only 30%). The other 30% to be allocated to other working class incomes ($50,000, $60,000 etc.)

Not a definition from HUD. Not from city council. A definition from a unified Black people in New York. The current policy protects developers. Ours protects the people.

200,000 displaced. 104,000 in shelters nightly. Average rent $4,024. These are our people. Housing is a human need. It is also a defining factor of New York City and its identity. To know this city is to know rent is too high and wages are too low. These false affordable developments being built are not for the masses, and especially not the Black masses who have been pushed out of their communities. Our definition of affordability must be followed or the Black exodus will continue.