If you live in New York City, or, if you would like to, you may have heard that there is a new proposal to build additional housing units. This proposal is called the City of Yes.
The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity is a zoning reform proposal that would address the housing crisis by making it possible to build a little more housing in every neighborhood [emphasis in the original]. If every neighborhood contributes, we can make a big impact citywide without burdening any one area.
NYC – Department of City Planning
In addition, WABC 7 News also reported that, “the full New York City Council will likely vote on the City of Yes proposal at a planned December 5th [2024] meeting.”
Business Insider indicates that, “City of Yes is expected to pass the full council.”
Affordable housing is a concern in New York.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, New York is one of the 4 states in the USA where the highest number of homeless and unsheltered families and individuals live.
In New York City the Housing Connect website attempts to help New Yorkers to avoid homelessness offering affordable housing solutions by linking families and individuals looking for housing with available units.
However, the apartments available units through Housing Connect are rarely in the low, very low or extremely low income range says Almost Home: Housing Insecurity in NYC an award-nominated documentary on homelessness in New York City.
The low, very low or extremely low income range is the income level which many New Yorkers need and can afford.
Homelessness in NYC is 37% higher than it was 10 years ago.
The low, very low, or extremely low income range is the housing income level which many New Yorkers need and can afford.
The City of Yes proposal would do the following:
Allow homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
An ADU is housing developed by individual homeowners with guidelines by the City.
Business Insider reports that, “The policy reform is expected to result in thousands of [affordable] backyard tiny homes, converted garages, basements, and attics.”
“ADUs are a proven tool in cities across the country to support working families with extra space, additional income, and the opportunity to age in place,”
Dan Garodnick, Director of the New York City Department of City Planning, Business Insider
In other words, the ADUs are projected to benefit both the homeowner and prospective tenants.
According to Business Insider, by fostering the building of ADUs, “New York is following in the footsteps of cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle that view ADUs as low-hanging fruit in the quest for more affordable housing.”
Certain kinds of spaces are not available for development eg basement apartments in flood zones.
Allow modest apartment buildings in certain areas (3, 4 or 5 stories)
The highlight of the City of Yes is that no one neighborhood or borough (area of the City) would bear the complete burden of additional housing. So no particular borough will feel over-utilized in the quest for more housing.
Allow two-family home to be built in neighborhoods zoned for two-family homes
This seems like an obvious thing to me. It appears that, perhaps, areas that are now zoned for 2-family homes are under utilized in terms of this type of housing. If you know more about why this item is being featured in City of Yes, please, enlighten us in the comments.
And finally,
Allow already-approved apartment building to be about 20% larger if the additional dwellings are permanently affordable and income-restricted
For example, if a builder planned to construct an apartment with 25 units, that contractor could expand to a 30 unit building IF the additional 5 units were permanently set aside in one of the, presumably, lower income bands.
City of Yes – sounds like a potential winner all around to me. And yet…
No matter the incentive many of us will not develop our homes to create affordable housing. Most of us are not members of the NY City Council. Nor are we contractors.
But most of us have sight. In addition, most unsighted New Yorkers are persons of vision.
An accessible way of helping the homeless and housing insecure is by SEEING them and the housing issue.
City of Yes is a proposal that “sees” and engages the issue of housing insecurity and homelessness on the municipal level.
When you and I donate to the homeless strangers as we journey in or around the City or kindly and graciously allow a friend to crash with us until the crisis is past, we “see” and act on behalf of the housing insecure and homeless on a personal level.
We likely need both municipal and personal interventions for a good while to come to drive out this persistent lack of housing in NYC.
Why don’t we engage with the homeless?
My working theory is that we don’t see and by “see” I mean we resist engaging with the homeless because, first, it can be truly heart breaking to see and to smell, to sense the tragedy that seems to blanket them.
From a Christian perspective, however, God calls us to extend ourselves deeply into the lives of the hurting around us which, of course, includes the homeless.
Prolific Christian blogger Tim Challies wrote recently in a post titled Modesty Requires Looking Away,
"There are a few areas in life I am convinced God calls me to gaze at intently and to fix my mind upon. These are the issues of my own soul and sanctification, the issues of my own family, my own local church, my own community and country.
These are issues that concern me, issues that are within my sphere of responsibility, issues I can do something about."
If you are a Christian or a person of good will, you and I can do something about this issue because we are called to do so.
I believe that the Lord calls Christians to be “salt” and “light”
The Bible says,
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 NIV/New International Version
You likely already know that, in the time that the Bible was written, an era without refrigeration, salt was the main preservative of meat. Salt was therefore extremely valuable.
You and I, pouring ourselves into the lives of others, like salt, preserves, yes, the life and livelihood of those others; you pouring yourself, your costly self, out into your brother or sister in need, preserves the dignity and self worth of another soul created in the image of God.
That pouring is HIGHLY valuable!
This work, this “seeing” also blesses you and the larger society, too, by reminding you that the issue is too big for you alone or for one city alone: we simply must come together to get the work done!
We need God to help us and to bless our City of Yes. Yes? We also need God to bless our dollars going into that cup, to bless our hug enveloping that tired shoulder. We need God!
Christian, we are not only salt we are “light.” Not just any kind of light, we are a light which brings glory and praise to God.
Since about the summer, I’ve started viewing videos of those giving large sums of money to the homeless. I have been greatly moved but … skeptical.
I’m thinking to myself regarding the content creators, “If you want to improve the lot of the homeless, mmmm, just do it.”
Just give the money. Just do the thing. Why do you need a camera on? To show off?!?! Foolishness.
But then I thought, I wouldn’t be as inspired to help if I had never seen that creator’s efforts.
Maybe this is a modern way, in some instances, to shine a good light on good deeds, to bring glory to God our Father as He divinely pokes us to get get involved beyond ourselves.
The chances are good that, whether you are based in NYC or not, you don’t have to go far to see, that is, to engage with, someone in need.
If you engage and interact with that person, your heart will begin to be touched and you’ll likely be moved to do something to help. Let’s see and help the homeless and unsheltered TODAY.
Let’s Help End Homelessness
xoxoKimberly
Peter Bond
in NYC is my guy! I love his work.
IDK what his story is: is he a Christian or some other chronic “do-gooder?” IDK – In any case his TikTocs and YouTube shorts of him giving sometimes hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to homeless individuals regularly go viral.
Many of his gifts appear to be crowd funded, leading me to believe that his generosity also inspires others to see and, therefore, help transform the immediate lives and outcomes of homeless New Yorkers.
Peter Bond’s work is super dope. Here’s how we can support him:
Connect with Peter Bond’s Go Fund Me
Catch Peter Bond on YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/@bondpeter
Follow Peter Bond on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bondgives/
A video of a barber/hairdresser providing a haircut to a homeless woman.
What gets me is that, it appears to me that this lady was trying to live with dignity:
~she obviously colored her hair,
~she clearly took care of and loved her dog,
~it looks like she tried to coordinate her clothes.
~It also looks like she was trying NOT to be “a bother.”
Being unhoused presents serious challenges on many levels.
Help! Love, MOM 
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