New York City Officials Host Joint Roundtable to Provide Essential Information to Immigrant Communities on Housing Rights and Protections

May 20, 2025

NEW YORK — New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr., the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Mayor’s Office on Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit (PEU), and the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) today hosted an ethnic media roundtable and Q&A session to inform immigrant New Yorkers about their rights and protections for housing under New York City’s laws. 

The event provided key information on what constitutes housing discrimination, how to assert housing rights, and what resources are available to New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. City officials also highlighted new multilingual resources — flyers, guides, how-to videos, and visual aides, among others — created to assist immigrant New Yorkers in navigating housing laws and ensure that language is never a barrier to accessing important information about housing rights.

New multilingual outreach materials are now available online in various languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu to ensure accessibility for New York City’s diverse population.

“Having served this city as a planner, community board manager, council member and borough president, representing largely immigrant communities, I know the host of housing issues that immigrants face—whether that is discrimination in securing housing opportunities or ensuring that people live in safe, quality housing” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr. “I look forward to today’s roundtable discussion and am grateful for the interagency partnership working to ensure that immigrants in our city are empowered with clear information on their housing rights and the ability to make the best choices for themselves and their families.”

Ethnic media roundtable discussion on immigrant housing rights and protections.
Credit: Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA).

"New Yorkers need to know when one of our inspectors arrive at their home, the thing that matters first to HPD is to uphold everyone's right to a safe and dignified home,” said HPD Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. “Through our dedicated enforcement unit—and in coordination with other city agencies—we hold property owners accountable to the city's housing regulations. Tenants are encouraged to report violations without fear, regardless of their immigration status.”

"Interagency partnerships with our colleagues at HPD, CCHR, and PEU, allows us to highlight the vital public services community members can utilize to maintain the quality of life that they deserve. From the inclusion of tenant rights in our Know Your Rights outreach to providing issue-specific language access in services related to housing, we continue to serve as a key foundation for our Newest New Yorkers and long-time residents,” said MOIA Commissioner Manuel Castro. “As Commissioner, I am proud to continue the work to ensure that our immigrant New Yorkers have the crucial information and resources to live in our city, free of fear and confusion.”

“Every New Yorker deserves to live in a safe, stable home—no matter where they were born or what their immigration status is,” said PEU Executive Director Adrienne Lever. “We’re proud to stand with our agency partners to ensure immigrant communities understand their tenant rights and know how to access help. With multilingual specialists, a dedicated Tenant Helpline, and a deep commitment to meeting people where they are, PEU works every day to ensure fear isn’t a barrier to housing stability.”

“Immigrants are an essential part of the fabric of New York City, and the New York City Human Rights Law guarantees that they cannot be denied housing because of their citizenship status or national origin,” said CCHR Deputy Commissioner Kajori Chaudhuri. “The Commission on Human Rights is dedicated to working with our partners across the City to educating and empowering all New Yorkers about their rights and responsibilities, ensuring no one is excluded or mistreated because of who they are.”

HPD is committed to protecting the rights of all tenants, regardless of immigration status, and helping educate tenants and owners alike on their responsibilities, and offers the following resources:

• If you are a tenants who is experiencing any maintenance issues, call 311.
• If you believe you are being harassed by your landlord, you can contact HPD’s Anti-Harassment Unit by calling 311 or online.
• HPD’s website also has information on tenants' rights and responsibilities, including new tenant protection laws like Good Cause Eviction, which went into effect last year.
• The ABCs of Housing is HPD's guide to housing rules and regulations for owners and tenants and contains helpful information on a variety of topics.
• You can research your building and landlord on HPD Online.
• If you’re looking for housing, consider exploring NYC Housing Connect, a citywide lottery for affordable apartments and homes.
• You can also receive rental and down payment assistance if you qualify for the HomeFirst, SCRIE/DRIE, or Section 8 programs.
• In addition, HPD’s Homeowner Help Desk helps thousands of small homeowners facing challenges and Partners in Preservation is helping tenants across the city work with organizers to learn and uphold their rights to a safe and secure home.

Throughout the summer, PEU will be reaching out proactively to tenants to raise awareness about their housing rights and the resources that are available to support them - regardless of immigration status. As part of this effort, PEU’s Tenant Support Unit will be on the ground today for a Day of Action distributing the City’s new multilingual materials and connecting directly with New Yorkers in high traffic areas across the five boroughs.

In addition to these efforts, CCHR is responsible for enforcing the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) and educating New Yorkers on the rights enshrined in that law. The NYCHRL is one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in the nation and CCHR works to promote equality and combat discrimination in New York City through law enforcement, community relations, and public education.