Councilman: Habitat for Humanity Should House Brooklyn Families It Displaced

The organization is renovating buildings in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Habitat for Humanity is renovating several buildings in Bedford-Stuyvesant, but it turns out they weren’t fully vacant and an investigation by ProPublica found tenants were pushed out just before the charity took over the buildings. Now, a City Council Member is pushing for the organization to provide replacement housing for them, the New York Daily News reported. "The only way for Habitat to rehabilitate itself is to restore these families to at least the stability they previously enjoyed," Council Member Robert Cornegy said in a statement about the seven families who were left homeless.

Habitat-NYC hasn’t committed to anything, but CEO Karyn Haycox did issue a statement. "We encourage the seven displaced families who were named in your April 1 article to contact us directly," she said. "We want to better understand their situations and help them find solutions that meet their needs. We stand ready to guide any affected residents through our application process or connect them with appropriate alternate affordable housing resources, as we do with all families who reach out to us."

In 2010, the charity received $21 million in stimulus funds for the project. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker had briefly called for a congressional investigation, but later said, in part, that "unintended consequences can occur" as Habitat does its "great work" and she will stay in touch with them.

• Bedford-Stuyvesant families displaced by Habitat for Humanity should receive replacement housing: Councilman [NYDN]

• How Habitat for Humanity Went to Brooklyn and Poor Families Lost Their Homes [ProPublica]

from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/9/11394594/habitat-for-humanity-bed-stuy-brooklyn-families-homeless