Today, about 7 million Americans stand on the edge of homelessness. The national ban on evictions (which was never comprehensive) has expired and so landlords can resume or commence legal action to force people out of their homes, even if they’ve lost income, through no fault of their own, due to COVID. Meanwhile, the pandemic… Continue reading On the edge of eviction
Author: Glyn Robbins
NYCHA
A few quick thoughts on the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), about which there is a lot more to say. It’s the biggest landlord in the city, with 175,000 homes for about 400,000 people. Its first development (called First Houses) was opened in 1935. At the opening ceremony, Harry Hopkins, one of President Roosevelt’s… Continue reading NYCHA
A Tale of Two Meetings
I went to two meetings on Friday. The first was online and attended by representatives from housing campaigns in New York state. The second was in person, at The Peoples Forum, a venue for the progressive left in midtown Manhattan. As a more articulate person than me, who’d also been to both, said, there was… Continue reading A Tale of Two Meetings
The Ball Game
A disclaimer: I’m a sucker for a ball game. I played them for many years and I’ve never been able to resist watching them, There’s something about going to a game that gets me every time, even though I’m increasingly aware of the problems with commodified sport and its ideological power. Last night I went… Continue reading The Ball Game
The State of the Nation (provisional findings)
I’ve been in the country four weeks now and that’s quite long enough to arrive at some sweeping conclusions about a country of 300 million people, from one small corner of it (although the Bronx, famously and unlike the other NYC boroughs, is connected to “the mainland”). There’s a clue in the title. The nation’s… Continue reading The State of the Nation (provisional findings)
The Amalgamated
Another day, another example of inspirational, working class-led housing in NYC. The Amalgamated Housing Co-Operative is in the north-west Bronx, just south of Van Cortlandt Park. It’s been there since 1927, one of the oldest housing co-ops in the US. The Amalgamated was established by and named after the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, the… Continue reading The Amalgamated
CASA Power!
“CASA” stands for Community Action for Safe Apartments, with a very appropriate double meaning in Spanish. It’s an organisation I’ve known for several years and where I hope to spend lots of time while I’m here. They’re based in the Mount Eden neighbourhood of the Bronx, one of the most impoverished in the US, with… Continue reading CASA Power!
Retain and Explain?
On my way to watch the England game in Manhattan yesterday, I noticed this massive brownstone in the Murray Hill area, a couple of blocks south of Grand Central Station – and the plaque on its wall (with apologies for picture quality). It tells us the palazzo was designed by the noted (and notorious!) NYC… Continue reading Retain and Explain?
The Coops
I made a discovery this morning. Three miles east of Co-Op City is more evidence of NYC’s somewhat hidden history of non-market housing. When I first arrived here (the Allerton neighbourhood of the Bronx), I noticed a very distinctive building on the corner of Allerton Avenue and Bronx Park East. I had a quick look… Continue reading The Coops
The Shape of Things to Come
Having been here less than two weeks, it’s difficult to accurately assess where things are going with New York City’s deeply troubled housing situation. But there seems to be an uneasy hiatus, that perhaps reflects the mood of the city and nation as a whole. There are some numbers that give an indication of what’s… Continue reading The Shape of Things to Come
Bronx Tales 