In Lower Manhattan and across this district, housing isn’t just expensive — it’s disappearing. Longtime residents are being pushed out, families can’t find space to stay, and too many New Yorkers are one rent increase away from losing their homes altogether.

This issue is personal for me. I grew up in Southbridge Towers when it was part of the Mitchell-Lama program — a model that gave working families like mine stability and a path to opportunity. I know firsthand what affordable housing makes possible, and what we stand to lose when it disappears.

Housing policy should be about stability, dignity, and opportunity — not displacement. That means not only building new affordable housing, but protecting the communities that already call this district home — including NYCHA residents, co-op owners, loft tenants, and long-time residents in places like Chelsea Houses and Fulton Houses.

We need leadership that understands both how to build housing and how to protect the people who already live here — across every type of housing in our district.

What I’ve Done

I’ve delivered real results when it comes to affordable housing — not just promises.

• Delivered 400 deeply affordable units (AMI as low as 40%) at 5 WTC

• Delivered 20% preference to 9/11 survivors and first responders and their families throughout the 1,200-unit 5 WTC building

• Advocated for increased income limits for SCRIE and DRIE

• Advocated to keep NYCHA public

These wins show what’s possible when we prioritize working families, seniors, and the people who built our communities.

What I Will Do

This district needs bold action to create stability, affordability, and long-term opportunity.

• All government-owned land being developed as residential should be 100% affordable — this may not be achievable in all cases, but I will fight to ensure that number is at least 50%

• Recreate Mitchell-Lama or a similar program (Mitchell-Lama 2.0) to provide opportunities for long-term stability and eventually ownership

• Push for a more district-based AMI metric so affordability reflects the realities of our neighborhoods

• Create permanent solutions, not temporary fixes, for unhoused people — more supportive housing, fewer shelters

• Avoid expiration dates on new programs, which cause instability

• Create veteran-specific Section 8 vouchers and fight to preserve and strengthen the Section 8 program overall

• Support the reauthorization and strengthening of the Loft Law to protect tenants and artists who are vital to our communities

• Create more housing for families — multiple-bedroom units instead of single beds or studios

• Expand housing options oriented toward young people

• Stand with our friends in Chelsea to oppose the demolition of Chelsea Houses and Fulton Houses, and fight against the privatization of NYCHA across NYC

• Continue to advocate for policies that keep public housing public while also protecting co-op owners, rent-regulated tenants, and loft residents

• Oppose unfair tax increases — including the mayor’s proposed 9.5% property tax hike — that would further burden working- and middle-class residents