REBNY, Tenant Advocates Meet to Discuss Federal Policy

In an unusual turn of events, New York City tenant advocates and real estate leaders have joined forces to plan for potential federal housing cuts under the Trump administration, making for strange bedfellows.

Representatives from the Real Estate Board of New York, tenant advocacy groups, nonprofit organizations and city officials gathered in Lower Manhattan last week to develop a strategy against what anticipated reductions in federal housing assistance, Gothamist reported.

Attendees at the meeting, held at the city’s Housing Development Corporation, included Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Real Estate Board Vice President Basha Gerhards and representatives from Legal Aid and the Community Service Society of New York.

The tenor of the meeting was grim; affordable housing policy analyst Iziah Thompson said it “felt like a funeral.”

According to city housing officials’ analysis, previous congressional spending proposals could slash Section 8 rental assistance by up to $357 million, equivalent to aid for more than 17,000 households. The New York City Housing Authority could lose up to $111 million in funding. Block grants that fund affordable development are also potentially at risk.

HUD secretary Scott Turner launched a task force to “eliminate waste, fraud and abuse” in federal housing programs, already identifying $260 million in potential savings.

Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint partly developed by White House Budget Director Russell Vought, proposes placing political appointees in charge of housing grants and implementing rules that would restrict rental assistance for households with undocumented family members.

While a recent House budget resolution includes reductions targeting food stamps and Medicaid, rental assistance hasn’t been specifically identified as a target. Experts note, however, that cuts to any safety net programs would leave low-income Americans with less money for rent.

The coalition focused not only on how cuts would affect low-income residents but also on broader economic ripple effects. Ellen Davidson, a Legal Aid attorney, noted that canceled development projects in New York could impact suppliers nationwide.

“A housing market struggling with uncertainty harms everyone,” said Ilana Maier, spokesperson for the city’s housing agency. “You can’t hurt one part of the real estate market without it impacting everything.”

— Holden Walter-Warner