May 14, 2025 — FY 2026 Executive Budget Hearing

The State of Housing

Good morning Chair Brannan, Chair Sanchez, and members of the Committees on Finance and Housing and Buildings. My name is Ahmed Tigani, the Acting Commissioner for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development and I'm joined my colleague Gardea Caphart, our Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Finance and Administration.

I appreciate the opportunity to come back and testify on behalf of HPD.

Today, I want to discuss the state of housing in New York City.

Five weeks ago, you gave us the opportunity to share HPD's vision for the future we're working to build–and to engage in a conversation about how New York City is leveraging our financing tools, resources, and community programs to address the ongoing housing crisis.

As I said then – and I reaffirm to you now – every single day, we are showing up–with urgency, with creativity, and with dedication.

This conversation – and our budget – isn't theoretical. It's about real homes, real communities and real people. This budget is about Robert.

Robert Pamphille is a 74-year-old New Yorker, born in Trinidad. After retiring to care for his wife and son–both living with disabilities–Robert did everything he could to keep a roof over their heads. For six years, they cycled through shelters, living without a kitchen, without privacy, without peace.

We asked how he got through it. He said: faith. He never gave up hope.

Last year, that hope was answered. In 2024, we placed Robert and his family into a brand-new, affordable two-bedroom at Greenpoint Landing–with on-site support from Breaking Ground and brand new furniture through a city program. A real home, fully theirs.

When Robert stepped inside alone for the first time, he cried.

Not because it was fancy. But because after six long years, he could finally give his family a safe, stable place to call home.

Robert is who we fight for. And the millions of other New Yorkers like him–those who are struggling now, and those who might need us tomorrow.

What we do today shapes their tomorrow.

So my hope is that my testimony today will serve as both a state of housing in New York City as well as a call to action–because the mandate is clear and the work is far from done.

Delivery in Motion

Let's start with where HPD is focused. The answer is simple: everywhere. Every block, in every neighborhood, in every borough. In communities, from East New York to Inwood, from Stapleton to the South Bronx, we are turning policy into housing. The help might look different, the combination of tools configured more specifically, but we are working to serve every corner of the five boroughs

Just since the last time I sat before you:

We relaunched Neighborhood Pillars–to rescue distressed buildings and protect the people living inside them.

We opened applications for the Universal Affordability Preference–another tool to make sure every New Yorker can afford to live in any neighborhood, not just the ones they've been pushed into.

And we doubled down on supportive housing–backing it with real dollars and a real commitment to creating more congregate homes.

We've advanced dozens of public site projects–from community engagement and RFP designations to homecomings, including the topping off of Willets Point Phase 1, where a historic 2,500 unit development is now visible on the skyline next to Citi field.

We've advanced Where We Live NYC – the City's Fair housing plan – holding 4 public workshops as the first step towards drafting the 2025 update to the plan.

Even with announcement after announcement, we never lose sight of why we do this. It's about the people of New York–the parents looking for stability, the seniors trying to age with dignity, the young families chasing a future.

It's about the dream that every New Yorker deserves: a safe, affordable place to call home.

Systems that Work for New Yorkers

But we know that building homes is only part of the job to creating those dreams. Getting New Yorkers into those homes–fairly, efficiently, and with dignity–is just as critical.

That's why, in just the past five weeks, we've taken major steps to overhaul the Housing Connect system–because getting a shot at an affordable home shouldn't feel impossible.

We cut through red tape–reforming our Marketing Handbook to reduce paperwork, eliminate notarization, ease documentation for people on federal benefits, and make the process more accessible for New Yorkers with disabilities.

Because the system should work for the people who need it.

And the results speak for themselves:

• In just the first few months of this year, 94 lotteries have opened–that's over 5,000 affordable homes.
• And more than 5,000 households have already been approved–that's families who now have a real chance at a stable future.

Our goal is simple: make it easier to get housed, not harder.

Preservation at Scale

In a city where more than 3.7 million apartments are already built, including nearly a million rent stabilized apartments, preservation is essential. And in this economic climate, it's urgent.

Preservation isn't just about saving buildings–it's about preventing displacement. Just recently, this March, we sent out information on J-51 to property owners so they know it's an available tool for addressing building needs. When we align enforcement, support, and subsidy, we protect people's ability to stay in the neighborhoods they call home.

Accountability and Impact

But we don't stop when financing is done or even when keys are handed over.

Because at HPD, we believe every New Yorker–no matter their zip code, income, or background–deserves a home that is safe, legal, and livable. Full stop.

Since just March, our code enforcement teams have responded to almost 110,000 problems and issued over 130,000 violations. Over 150,000 violations have been closed, including 3,200 as part of our litigation activities. 32,000 housing units were made safer because of emergency repair work completed in apartments or public areas of buildings throughout the city.

We've taken on buildings where tenants lived without heat, with lead paint exposure, or under harassment–and we've brought real results: homes repaired, landlords held accountable, families protected.

And we're not doing this alone. We're doing it the way New Yorkers get things done–together.

Through HPD in Your District, we're meeting people where they are with our mobile van–helping tenants get repairs, understand their rights, and find a path to ownership right there on the spot.

We launched Neighborhood Tech Help-in-person support offered right inside the communities we serve at affordable housing developments, libraries and community centers.

And with Stay Informed NYC – our new public awareness campaign–we're making sure people know what help is out there, what they're entitled to, how to get it, and how to hold the system accountable when they need it most.

Because information is power.

What Comes Next Isn't About Us

What comes next isn't about us. It's not about me. It's not about you. It's not about any one leader or agency. It's about the very real people who are counting on us, just like Robert.

Recently, one year after Robert moved into his apartment, he says it finally feels like home–and he's already excited to celebrate the holidays with his family, in their own space – a safe, affordable apartment.

What will Robert's life look like in a year? What can we do today so that every New Yorker has a shot at that type of safety and security in a year from now.

Even in the face of HUD instability, capital market difficulties, and policy headwinds, we're staying focused on that question. How do we house our neighbors, preserve our communities, and expand access to opportunity for every New Yorker.

Just like Robert, no matter what comes at us, we can't lose hope.

Thank you.