Dozens gathered at Marcy Plaza in Bed-Stuy on Monday for an affordable housing rally.
The rally, organized by
Affordable for You, a citywide campaign dedicated to fighting the housing crisis and gentrification, advocated for affordable housing that meets the income levels of the neighborhood it's in.
"We want 70% of all units that are built in these affordable housing complexes to be affordable to people who are making within 30% of the AMI," said Yasmine Tiana, housing chair for the campaign.
Tiana said developers are using the median incomes of people who live in New York state, rather than the city, to determine rent costs for affordable housing units.
"People who have grown up here cannot afford to live in their own communities," Tiana said.
Tiana said the campaign is calling on the mayor and other locally elected officials to keep their promises about affordable housing.
"You could be the change that you want to be in your community, but you need that voice and you need to have that leadership," said Troy Kingston Jr., a content creator who creates videos about deed theft and displacement in New York City.
Another rally will be organized for the Bronx, because Affordable for You said the borough has been drastically redeveloped in the last few years.