HPD responds to Senator Montgomery's letter urging Mayor de Blasio to create a pathway for the homeless into permanent low-income, supportive and affordable housing.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development  (HPD) responds to Senator Montgomery's March 22nd, 2017 letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio and HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer urging the adminstration to work with non-profit housing developers (NPCs) to create a pathway out of homeless shelters into permanent low-income, supportive and affordable housing.  HPD's response notes:

HPD commends your dedication to your community and appreciates your letter and request for HPD to create an affordable and permanent housing plan. 

We agree that nonprofits are a critical component in the successifil implementation of the Housing New York plan. HPD values our nonprofit partners and we are always seeking ways to grow nonprofit developer capacity. 

Senator Montgomery's letter was in response to constituent concerns about the New York City Department of Homeless Service’s plan to open a homeless shelter at 1173 Bergen Street in Brooklyn. In her letter, Senator Montgomery raised the following points:

Homeless shelters divide communities while affordable housing developments enhance and strengthen neighborhoods. In the last 25 years, the Neighborhood Preservation Companies (NPCs) have been the source of the revitalization of our communities, before the developers ‘discovered’ Brooklyn.

I am proud to represent a district that is home to numerous developments built by non-profit housing organizations (NPCs) that provide quality affordable housing while respecting the fabric and character of the community. 

I respectfully urge you to create a plan which includes the non-profit housing developers (NPCs) who have expertise in creating affordable and permanent housing for the homeless, low and moderate-income individuals and families. This is not an unattainable goal. Only in this way can we address current homelessness and prevent others from joining their ranks.

If the City continues to rely on private developers that only dedicate a small portion of their projects to the individuals and families who struggle to secure affordable housing, we will not solve the housing crisis plaguing our great City. 

To read Senator Montgomery's March 22nd letter and HPD's response, please download the attached PDFs.

To read Senator Montgomery's post urging Mayor de Blasio to create pathway for the homeless into permanent low-income, supportive and affordable housing, visit https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/velmanette-montgomery/senator-montgomery-urges-mayor-de-blasio-create-pathway

To learn more about the importance of Neighborhood Preservation Companies and the impact they have made on communities throught New York City, visit https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/velmanette-montgomery/members-carroll-gardens-association-meet-senator-montgomery