NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – A new law passed in the City Council would require housing developers to preserve a percentage of their new units for homeless New Yorkers.
The bill will require housing developers receiving city funds to reserve 15 percent of their units for the homeless.
Speaker Corey Johnson was celebrating the passage of the bill in the Council chamber on Friday. He spoke of the time he was homeless and addicted to drugs and alcohol. He says having a roof over his head helped him get sober.
“It’s our responsibility as a city government to build truly affordable housing for New Yorkers that are the most in need,” Johnson said Friday.
The bill is aimed at relieving crowded shelters throughout the city. The Department of Housing and Preservation would provide a report on the number of units created annually.
“This is going to be one of those things that eventually—one day when we hopefully end homelessness in New York City—they will say, ‘It started with this,’” Johnson said.
The motion passed 38-3.