Chhaya CDC

Tenants at 89-20 161st Street are fighting back against neglect and displacement. After more than a year on rent strike, they’re demanding the repairs they deserve, lasting affordability, and a future rooted in tenant and community control, not another abusive landlord. The tenants united will never be defeated.

Chhaya joined @_nyccli and housing advocates at City Hall to support the reintroduction of COPA. COPA would give community land trusts and nonprofits a better chance to save at-risk buildings and keep them affordable. After Mayor Adams vetoed COPA, we are back with our partners to keep fighting for housing that communities can control. Proud of our own Jess Balgobin for speaking at the rally and standing up for our communities.

Tenants at 89-20 161 St. have endured neglect for too long. They’re demanding deep repairs, truly affordable rents, and tenant/community control of the building. Thursday, May 14 at 4 PM 89-20 161 St, Jamaica Parkash out.

Behind on your mortgage or worried about foreclosure? Join us for a free Zoom workshop on Monday, May 18 at 4:30 PM covering foreclosure prevention, working with lenders, housing counseling, your rights, and how to avoid scams and deed theft. Register through the link in our bio under Events. #ChhayaCDC #ForeclosurePrevention #HousingRights #QueensNYC #NYCHomeowners

The data is clear: home flipping is a predatory practice targeting vulnerable homeowners and tenants, while driving out majority BIPOC residents from some of the last affordable neighborhoods in NYC. In late April, we released a policy brief with new data on home flipping. Since then, the research has helped inform and expand reporting that shines a spotlight on the issue—from @citylimitsnews latest investigation into LLCs and flipping’s impact on homeowners, to a segment on NY1. Swipe to see the latest coverage, and read the full policy brief at the link in our bio. Thank you again to our incredible research partners and supporters: @enycoalition @cypresshillsldc @chhayacdc @nhn_bk @nyneighborhoods @catalinacruzny @senatorjuliasalazar @cmsandynurse

Hundreds of tenants chanted, sang, and demanded a RENT ROLLBACK 🎢 yesterday at the 2026 Rent Guidelines Board Preliminary Vote. Tenants continue to experience the burden from the years of rent hikes from Eric Adams’ term and realistically, a rent freeze is just not enough! The RGB must LOWER THE RENT 🎢 and grant relief to the millions of rent-stabilized tenants in New York City! Studies from the Community Services Society show that among low-income rent-stabilized tenants, 66% struggle to make ends meet and 83% have little or no savings. Hambatu from the Union of Pinnacle Tenants said, “We have more than enough expenses, like medical bills, food, electricity, and having to take care of our families.” Tenants cannot take on more of a burden from the existing rents. We need a RENT ROLLBACK🎢! This is why when tenants filled up the seats inside the event and chanted “Eric Adams raised our rent, give us back our 12%,” we were immensely disappointed to hear the RBG’s vote on a 0-2% range for 1-year leases and 0-4% for 2-year leases! RGB Members Brandon Mancilla, Adán Soltren, and Sagar Sharma voted for ranges that included negative rent adjustments but the remaining six other board members did not! SHAME ON THEM! With this final range, tenants continue to be burdened with the already high rents. Tenants, who have been living in NYC for decades, or who have known NYC as their homes their entire lives, are constantly being displaced because of the ongoing unaffordability crisis in NYC and that is absolutely unacceptable! We’ll see you at the RGB hearings in June to keep up our fight for a RENT ROLLBACK! 🎢 #TenantPower #RentRollback #UniversalRentControl #TenantsUnited #HousingIsAHumanRight

TODAY is the Rent Guidelines Board preliminary vote! Rent-stabilized tenants across the city suffer from myriad issues in their apartments and their buildings, including thousands of hazardous open violations confirmed by HPD. If these thousands of tenants went on rent strike, they would likely be granted rent abatements in housing court, i.e., rollbacks. Landlords owe the city $800m in unpaid fines for open HPD violations. According to a 2023 report from the Community Service Society, 65% of rent-regulated tenants did not see any improvements in their homes, though they faced rent increases. During the blizzard in early 2026, HPD received over 30,000 complaints about lack of heat and hot water, despite 12.5% rent increases from Mayor Adams. Tenants are overpaying for the deplorable conditions they receive. SEE YOU SOON!

2 days until the Rent Guidelines Board preliminary vote! Tenants face rising costs of living amid a widespread affordability crisis. Working and middle-class tenants are crushed not only by rent increases, but also by wartime inflation and federal austerity cuts to our social safety net. Real wages decreased 0.4% in NYC while inflation in NYC increased 4%. According to the Mayor’s Office’s study of the true cost of living in NYC, a shocking 62% of all New Yorkers (75% in the Bronx) cannot truly afford to live in NY. Without safety net programs like rent-stabilization, this would increase to 67%. According to the City’s Housing and Vacancy Survey in 2021, 32% of renters paid over half of their income on rent. According to the Citizens Budget Commission, 114,000 New Yorkers have moved out of the city, of which 73% cited housing costs as the number one reason. Only a rent rollback can ameliorate the affordability crisis. A rent freeze merely maintains the status quo.

Caste discrimination has no place in New York. A6920/S6531 would add caste to New York’s anti-discrimination protections, helping safeguard our communities in workplaces, housing, schools, and public spaces. Tell your legislators to support the bills: bit.ly/ny-caste #ChhayaCDC #NYC #Queens #SouthAsian #IndoCaribbean C

We are hosting a CLT 101! Come spend next Friday with us and fellow lovers of Queens and deeply affordable housing. Connect with community members and learn how to become a member of Queens CLT!! RSVP at bit.ly/QCLT101May8 **edit! there is a typo in the flyer, the correct url is: bit.ly/QCLT101May8

46% of rent-stabilized tenants are rent-burdened. 100% are exploited! Join the Rent Justice Coalition in demanding a RENT ROLLBACK at the Rent Guidelines Board preliminary vote: • Thursday, May 7, at 5:30 pm • LaGuardia Performing Arts Center When we fight, we win! - ¡El 46% de los inquilinos con renta estabilizada sufren una carga excesiva de renta! ¡El 100% son explotados! Únete a la Coalición por la Justicia de la Renta para exigir una REDUCCIÓN DE LA RENTA durante la votación preliminar de la Junta de la Renta: • Jueves, 7 de mayo, a las 5:30 p. m. • LaGuardia Performing Arts Center ¡Cuando luchamos, ganamos!

🚨New policy brief from Pratt Center on the latest updates on home flipping released today! Our new brief finds that from 2021 to 2025, over 10,000 homes were flipped in NYC. These are 1–3 small homes bought and resold within two years, often by professional investors seeking quick profits through superficial renovations. In some of the last neighborhoods with affordable homeownership opportunities, this practice is driving up prices and increasing pressure on homeowners of color. Building on our 2024 report, Flipping Out, these findings show a consistent pattern: home flipping is highest in neighborhoods of color and is associated with rising home prices. Swipe for key findings, and read more at prattcenter.net/flippingout-2026 or the link in our bio. And a big thank you to our coalition partners and supporters: @enycoalition @cypresshillsldc @chhayacdc @nhn_bk @nyneighborhoods @catalinacruzny @senatorjuliasalazar @cmsandynurse