In a significant forum attended by 2,250 people at two separate venues on Sunday night, five Democratic candidates vying for the 2025 New York City mayoral race presented their strategies to combat homelessness, build affordable housing, and reform the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
Organized by Metro IAF in collaboration with various community organizations including Manhattan Together, South Bronx Churches, Queens Power, and East Brooklyn Congregations, this event brought together candidates to engage with a large audience.
While 2,000 attendees gathered at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, 250 participants joined virtually from Temple Sharaay Tefila in Manhattan, reminding everyone of the significance of ranked-choice voting in the upcoming June 24 primary.
As the candidates shared their ideas, they unanimously supported Metro IAF’s ambitious agenda to construct 500,000 homes over the next ten years and prioritized addressing mental health as a crucial societal issue.
Rev. David K. Brawley, pastor at St. Paul Community Baptist Church and co-chair of Metro IAF, emphasized the urgency of these issues, stating, “We can build 50,000 homes right now. We can fix NYCHA now. We can address the mental health crisis in New York City now.”
The candidate presentations varied in focus, with former Governor Andrew Cuomo taking the stage first. He pledged that within 30 days of taking office, he would remove every homeless person from train and subway stations and ensure they receive necessary assistance.
Reflecting on experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo stated, “We did it during COVID. We brought every homeless person out of the subway system to get them the help they need.”
He further highlighted the alarming number of mentally ill individuals incarcerated on Rikers Island, estimating that 20% of the inmates require serious mental health support.
Cuomo further criticized the New York City Housing Authority, stating that it has been problematic for decades, and he committed to securing additional resources to improve and expand affordable housing options.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams echoed the urgency of the housing crisis, stating, “We have to have housing of all types to meet everyone’s needs.”
Emphasizing her track record in delivering affordable housing as speaker, she proclaimed, “I have fought for these housing priorities and secured them.”
Adams also promised a substantial investment, declaring, “We will invest at least $500 million in NYCHA repairs, while improving on our tracking of outstanding NYCHA repairs. We want our NYCHA residents to live in dignity.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander was determined to take aggressive action from day one. He announced plans to declare a state of emergency to address the housing crisis and advocated for building 500,000 homes on city-owned and NYCHA properties.
He proposed converting four of the twelve city-owned golf courses into 50,000 affordable housing units for New Yorkers, clarifying his vision with the initiative titled “Building Blocks of Change.”
“We don’t have to be a city where several thousand of our mentally ill neighbors sleep on the street,” Lander asserted. “We can end that together.”
Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer supported these housing initiatives by highlighting the need to rebuild the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) office, increase housing subsidies, and utilize city land for new housing projects.
Stringer insisted on the urgency of addressing the housing crisis, saying, “We’re going to turn those lots into true, affordable housing.”
Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani emphasized the importance of affordability, stating, “What good is being in the greatest city in the world if you can’t afford your rent, your groceries, your childcare?”
He stressed that mere belief in the concept of affordability is insufficient, insisting that the candidates must commit to delivering real solutions for the residents.
Rev. Rashad Raymond Moore, pastor at the First Baptist Church in Crown Heights, concluded the forum by stressing the need for steadfast leadership.
He proclaimed, “Voters need leadership, land, money, and relentless accountability. There’s only one person who has the power to unlock this land, and that is the mayor of the city of New York. We’re not coming here to beg. We’re coming to build.”
image source from：https://www.amny.com/politics/democrats-housing-homelessness-forum-06022025/
