Menin, City Council address racial equity and housing to Black press at roundtable

City Council Speaker Julie Menin and elected officials hosted a Black Media Roundtable at City Hall on July 21, discussing big wins in the city’s budget and areas that still need to be improved for Black, Brown, and immigrant communities. 

After months of protests about delays, the city passed its budget at $125.8 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The budget had several policy items and funding geared toward addressing some of these issues faced by Black and Brown communities.

This includes finally expanding the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program; rejecting the proposed 9.5% property tax increase on homeowners; allocating $2.1 million for the Commission on Racial Equity (CORE); $7.5 million in additional funding to help NYCHA remediate vacant units; baseline $10 million for cultural institutions; and a $1,000 college savings program for public school kindergartners through NYC Kids Rise, among other budget successes. 

Ariama C. Long photos

“We have created the largest college savings program. We are seating every public school, and charter school, kindergartner, in the City of New York with a $1,000 college savings program,” said Menin. “It’s invested in the state’s 529 (account). That $1,000 will grow and compound every single year, and upon graduation, can be used for vocational school, two-year community college, four-year college. Why it’s so important: Studies show that a low-income child with a college savings account is three times more likely to go to college than someone who does not have one, and earns double wages in the course of their lifetime.”

Despite these significant wins, the councilmembers acknowledged that the work is not done, especially when it comes to affordable housing matters, pathways to homeownership, and New York City Housing Authority housing.

“There was an article that came out four and a half years ago that talked about the 200,000 Black New Yorkers who have left, and that was around the last Census. I have a feeling that when we do the next Census, we’ll see another exodus of Black New Yorkers,” said Williams. 

Williams said in her Queens district, it’s primarily Black homeowners who have moved; and it’s the same when she inquired in neighboring districts that had large Black and Caribbean populations. The cause, she believes, is an “attack” on Black homeownership through predatory lending, foreclosure, deed theft, and general skyrocketing costs in living. 

“It’s not a thing anymore to want to become a homeowner in New York City, so while we need to protect and stabilize existing homeownership units, we also feel that we should provide resources for those who want to become homeowners,” said Williams.

According to the mayor’s racial equity report, released earlier this year, Black New Yorkers in particular experience stark disparities when it comes to housing, health, environmental impact, employment, and income, among other issues. The report found that the median household net worth of white New Yorkers is nearly 15 times greater than that of Black New Yorkers, at $18,870. It also found that Black New Yorkers have the lowest life expectancy of any racial or ethnic group in the city.

Menin added that there is a fight to keep Mitchell Llama housing affordable as the NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) considers increasing rents by 31% across the city, but in particular at Tracey Towers in the Bronx.

“We are very upset, and it’s not acceptable, that we have situations like Tracey Towers in the Bronx, where there is HPD, which is threatening a 31% increase,” said Menin.

Councilmember Chris Banks, who chairs the public housing committee, said he is focused on historically underserved communities and NYCHA’s affordable housing stock. 

“Ultimately, this budget is about expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and making investments that allow families to thrive … and I just want to stress again, we can’t talk about affordable housing or affordability if you leave NYCHA in the background. If we continue to privatize public housing, which we have seen has a track record of displacement and aggressive evictions across the board, [concerns will continue],” said Banks. “While no budget can solve every challenge facing our city, we must recognize that more work remains, particularly when it comes to protecting and preserving public housing in the traditional Section 9 housing, which is home to a predominantly Black and Brown resident population.”

Councilmember Kevin Riley, who chairs the land use committee, spoke about preserving and revitalizing land in communities with vacant lots that could be used for residential and commercial space as part of the city’s Small Lots, Big Impact initiative. The proposed reforms to the city’s construction codes look at about 3,000 small lots across the city that are being underutilized, said Riley.  

“Councilmembers are taking our own proactive notion to go out there and produce as much housing as possible, but not only produce housing; preserve communities as well,” said Riley. “Time and time again, I’m in the Bronx, or I’m in Brooklyn,visiting my family, my in-laws, and you’ll see house, house, house, missing house. Within that missing house lot, you might have an abandoned car, you might have furniture there. 

“It just changes the whole dynamic of the character of the block,” he continued. “This ‘Missing Tooth’ — that’s the speaker’s name for this proposal — pretty much goes in and utilizes our proactive power as a (council) to pass legislation. That makes it more financially viable for people to build within those lots.”