Topics Housing
Two city officials at a council hearing
NYPD Plans Massive Expansion of Real-Time Surveillance in NYCHA Housing

The City Council held an emergency hearing on the NYPD’s use of a free internet program to gain real-time access to public housing cameras, in response to New York Focus’s reporting.

Zachary Groz   ·   October 1, 2025
The NYC City Hall
Councilmembers Demand NYPD Halt its Public Housing Surveillance Expansion, Following New York Focus Reporting

“New Yorkers did not agree to trade their right to privacy for the promise of free internet,” key committee chairs wrote to city officials.

Zachary Groz   ·   August 25, 2025
Mayor Eric Adams standing in front of an apartment building.
Has Mayor Eric Adams Built More Affordable Housing Than Bloomberg and de Blasio Combined?

The New York City mayor made the claim during a press conference in late July.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   August 19, 2025
A NYPD camera set against a public housing building
Adams Quietly Uses Free Internet at NYCHA to Expand Police Surveillance

The Adams administration is using its flagship broadband program to give police real-time access to NYCHA camera feeds — without telling anyone.

Zachary Groz   ·   August 11, 2025
How Renters Fueled Zohran Mamdani’s Victory

Andrew Cuomo won 11 out of 13 majority-homeowner districts — but Mamdani swept the floor in renter-heavy areas, where turnout surged.

Charlie Dulik   ·   July 4, 2025
These 5 Charts Show How Hotels Became New York’s Response to Homelessness

Social services agencies across the state now place nearly half of all individuals and families seeking shelter in hotels, leaving people without resources like food and help finding housing.

Spencer Norris and Joel Jacobs   ·   July 1, 2025
The Stradford-Moses family stands outside its home. Jasmine Stradford holds one of the family’s dogs in her hand.
How Hotels, Once a Last Resort, Became New York’s Default Answer to Homelessness

Statewide spending on hotels has more than tripled in recent years. The shift away from shelters has prevented families from accessing services like child care and help finding housing.

Spencer Norris   ·   June 24, 2025
Harrison Mayor Helped Rezone His Own Land — Then Sold It for $2.9 Million

Richard Dionisio participated in multiple votes related to a controversial rezoning effort without publicly disclosing his financial interest.

Chris Bragg   ·   May 21, 2025
Thousands Wait for Long-Term Help While Hochul Pushes Involuntary Commitment

In some counties, the waitlist for state-funded mental health treatment programs can exceed two years.

Julia Rock and Chris Gelardi   ·   April 22, 2025
An illustration of a house with solar panels and a charging sign on it, with text from New York’s draft all-electric building code in the background
New York Advances Gas Ban, Sidelines Other Green Building Rules

The state is pushing ahead on all-electric buildings, but a draft update to the building code leaves out other key recommendations from the state’s climate plan.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 28, 2025
Kathy Hochul stands in front of the blurred out text of a bill draft.
Hochul Administration Stalls on All-Electric Building Code

The state has yet to publish a building code update, promised in December, which should include requirements to phase out fossil fuel appliances in new homes.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 24, 2025
Split screen of two photos: On the left, Bronx residents as Eric Adams speaks to them following the 2022 fire. On the right, in black and white, a firefighter leans out of an empty window in the burned building of the Twin Parks apartment complex.
After a Catastrophic Fire in The Bronx, Nearly $400,000 in Donations Remains Unspent

The Bronx Community Foundation spent almost none of the funds it raised for victims of the 2022 Twin Parks apartment fire.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 22, 2025
Housing Hopes, or Housing Half Measures? State of the State 2025

Hochul is pushing an array of financial incentives to tackle the state’s housing crisis. But will they make a dent?

Sam Mellins   ·   January 15, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Covering Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State

Our team will be descending upon Albany on Tuesday. Here’s what they’ll be watching.

New York Focus   ·   January 13, 2025
Photograph of Sam Mellins in front of a photo of Route 17 in New York, showing signs to Scranton and Syracuse.
New York’s Secret Senate, Highway Love, and Political Machines: 2024 in Review

New York Focus reporter Sam Mellins reflects on what he learned this year, and teases what lies ahead for 2025.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 23, 2024
Photo collage of Kathy Hochul hugging a young child, background image of tax forms.
New York State Council Issues Child Poverty Recommendations

An advisory group set up under a 2021 state law finalized its proposals to cut child poverty in half.

Julia Rock   ·   December 20, 2024
Legislators Wrote a Bill in 2023 to Address the Housing Crisis — But Never Got to Vote on It

A newly discovered 80-page housing package would have included good cause eviction, but legislators were dissuaded by Kathy Hochul’s opposition.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 12, 2024
Kingston Made Rent Law History Two Years Ago. That Was the Easy Part.

For tenants in the first upstate city to adopt rent stabilization, benefiting from the law’s basic protections is an uphill battle.

Emma Whitford and Sam Mellins   ·   July 16, 2024
NYCLU Sues to Overturn Landmark Sex Offender Law

Advocates charge that New York’s restrictions for sex offense registrants are “vague, expansive, and unnecessary.” On Tuesday, they filed a federal lawsuit to strike them down.

Chris Gelardi and Sam Mellins   ·   May 28, 2024
Albany State Capitol building with For Rent signs in the windows.
Landlord Legislators Carved Themselves Out of Good Cause Eviction

A quarter of lawmakers in Albany are landlords. Almost none of them are covered by the most significant tenant protection law in years.

Peter Tomao and Sam Mellins   ·   May 13, 2024
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