Tenant Power Building

Acquires land and property, such as the 248 Arlington site and a multifamily building in East New York, to lease land while maintaining long-term community control and permanently affordable housing. This includes rehabbing buildings and transitioning them into resident-controlled structures like HDFC cooperatives.

Leads citywide advocacy campaigns to end New York City’s tax lien sale system, secure a moratorium, and establish a publicly accountable land bank through legislation including Local Laws 56, 62, and 65 of 2026, while advocating for the Community Land Act and Public Land for Public Good.

Organized resident-led advocacy in the Jewel Streets that contributed to the city’s announcement of a detailed infrastructure plan and commitment of $150 million for upgrades, including sewer and green drainage systems.

Developed bylaws, established a dues-paying general membership structure, elected a board of directors, and co-led community workshops to ensure resident input on neighborhood planning and resilience.

Leads community-based planning initiatives, such as in the Jewel Streets area, to advocate for sewer infrastructure, green drainage systems, and transfer of city-owned land to community control, grounded in principles of racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Conducts research on landlords, speculators, and property violations to support tenant organizing, performs physical surveys of vacant public lots, and partners on door-to-door community surveys to inform planning and collective ownership strategies.

Supports tenants in organizing tenant associations to improve living conditions and pursue building ownership, building collective power through democratic engagement and resident-led action.

Enables residents and workers in East New York and Brownsville to become voting members who elect board members and participate in strategic decision-making, fostering democratic community governance.

Engages in stewardship of the built, social, and natural environment through community organizing, education, and democratic control of land, including infrastructure advocacy and environmental monitoring.

Offers case management support to help tenants retain housing and avoid homelessness, focusing on vulnerable populations in Albany.

Delivers financial aid directly to landlords or banks to prevent tenant evictions and mortgage foreclosures for low-income households.

Organizes tenants in Brooklyn and Queens to form tenant associations, win rent reductions, and resist displacement through direct action and city- and state-level policy campaigns. Conducts anti-displacement work aimed at preserving the social and cultural fabric of Bushwick, including community history, culture, and networks.

Engages in sustained board service and organizational leadership at BHIP, including participation in fundraising and advocacy, with board membership spanning multiple periods since 2009.

Provides legal representation to hundreds of tenants in cases against exploitative landlords and contributes to coalition-building and policy development efforts to advance tenant justice in New York City.

Supports and empowers residents to lead their own efforts in improving their living environment through self-help programs and community-driven solutions.

Advocates on behalf of residents in housing projects to address tenant concerns and enhance living conditions. This includes direct engagement in problem-solving and representation to management or authorities.

Advocates to prevent the privatization of Mitchell-Lama and Project-Based Section 8 buildings and supports reforms to protect low-income seniors and disabled tenants through SCRIE/DRIE expansion and improved access. Led successful efforts to pass the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 and the Good Cause Eviction Law.

Mobilizes public opposition to HUD proposed rules that would impose work requirements, time limits, or forced family separation in housing assistance programs by organizing public comment campaigns and advocacy actions, citing success in 2019 when over 30,000 comments led to rule rescission.