NEW YORK, NY – In New York City, where you live shapes everything—from the schools your children attend to your access to jobs, transit, and community support. But in a city with a vacancy rate of just 1.4% and a history of segregated neighborhoods, far too many New Yorkers find that income, race, or background—not choice—determine where they can live. While the City celebrates the last day of Fair Housing month today, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is advancing their fair housing initiative, Where We Live NYC 2025, announcing that this summer, the City is writing the next Where We Live NYC plan.
The City originally created Where We Live NYC in 2020—to confront segregation and inequities head-on. Where We Live NYC 2025 is a major citywide initiative to shape the future of housing equity this next chapter of the City’s fair housing plan will chart bold new strategies for combating discrimination, confronting segregation, and expanding access to opportunity in every neighborhood. This next chapter of the City’s fair housing plan will chart bold new strategies for combating discrimination, confronting segregation, and expanding access to opportunity in every neighborhood.
“This is the most pro-housing administration in New York City history, full stop. From producing record amounts of affordable housing to passing our historic ‘City of Yes’ proposal, we are creating more homes, connecting more people to homes, and keeping more people in the homes they already have,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The Where We Live NYC report has already helped drive critical changes over the past five years, and I am excited to see the new ideas that come out of this plan. By listening to and engaging with communities across our city, we can design policies and programs that best support them and lay the foundation for a fairer New York in the decades to come.”
“New York City was built by the limitless opportunities for success it provides everyone who comes here from around the world. These opportunities can only continue to exist if every New Yorker has a fair shot at safe, affordable housing, said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrion, “The launch of the Where We Live NYC 2025 initiative will continue our City’s efforts to eliminate obstacles and inequities New Yorkers face when trying to access housing. This next chapter of the fair housing plan will bring the city together to ensure that every person has the right and path to succeed no matter their zip code.”
Ahmed Tigani, Acting Commissioner of HPD, shared, “Where you live can shape so much about your life—access to food, job opportunities and the kind of educational opportunities you might want for yourself and your family. As a lifelong New Yorker, I know what it means to love this city, but still see how unfair it can be and how much more we must do to make the positive changes we need. Too many New Yorkers are boxed out of opportunity because of what they earn or where they come from. Where We Live NYC is about changing that—about fighting for a city where everyone has a real shot, where New Yorkers can choose a home in the neighborhood that’s best for them and where they can thrive, no matter their zip code.”
HPD Calls on New Yorkers to Participate in Where We Live NYC 2025
As part of the City’s public engagement for the next phase of Where We Live NYC, HPD will host the final public workshop in this round of outreach on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Brooklyn.
New Yorkers are encouraged to share their experiences and contribute their insights on how to advance housing equity, confront segregation, and expand opportunity in every neighborhood.
Workshop Details
- Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (doors open at 5:45 PM)
- Location: Medgar Evers College, Academic Building 1, Room 312
- Address: 1638 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225
For those unable to attend in person, community members can still participate by completing the City’s online questionnaire at Where We Live NYC 2025.
Building on Progress
Since its release in 2020, Where We Live NYC has served as the City's roadmap for affirmatively furthering fair housing. It has guided major policies—from the expansion of affordable housing and the protection of tenants, to the promotion of inclusive neighborhood planning. New York City’s fair housing plan was codified into Local Law through the City Council’s 2023 Fair Housing Framework legislation. New York City remains a national leader in advancing local fair housing goals through community-driven action .
Over the past five years, Where We Live NYC laid the foundation for critical initiatives that are transforming the city’s housing landscape. This includes:
- The Homeowner Help Desk expanded citywide to assist 25,000 low-income homeowners at risk of displacement through one-on-one financial and legal counseling.
- City of Yes for Housing Opportunity passed, expanding housing opportunities in low density areas creating an additional 80,000 new homes in the next 15 years.
- The new Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers tax incentive (485-x) passed in April 2024, incentivizing the inclusion of permanently affordable housing in high-cost neighborhoods.
- NYCHA is on track to bring comprehensive apartment repairs and building upgrades, as well as enhanced property management and social services, to more than 142,000 residents.
- HPD and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are working together to address longstanding flooding and environmental justice concerns in the Jewel Streets.
Moving Towards the Future: Where We Live 2025
As the City works to implement these efforts, it is also looking ahead. The Where We Live NYC 2025 plan will assess progress to date, explore remaining challenges, and establish ambitious new commitments that reflect the lived experiences and expertise of New Yorkers.
Since August, the City has been asking New Yorkers two critical questions:
- How do fair housing challenges—such as segregation, discrimination, and limited access to thriving neighborhoods—affect New Yorkers’ lives?
- What actions should the City take to dismantle these barriers and expand access to opportunity?
- To shape its next plan, the City is:
- Engaging New Yorkers through workshops, library events, and online platforms
- Collaborating with advocates, service providers, and community-based organizations
- Researching how housing and opportunity have evolved across the five boroughs
- Coordinating across City agencies to ensure actionable and meaningful strategies
- Committing to a set of new goals and policies that affirmatively further fair housing
This inclusive engagement process will culminate in a draft plan in summer 2025 with a public hearing and comment period in summer 2025 and a final plan in fall 2025.
