Rapidly Gentrifying Crown Heights Becoming Unaffordable
Watching the gentrification of Crown Heights is like watching Williamsburg at warp speed.
That’s what members of the Crow Hill Community Association are saying after an effort to draw more volunteers into its affordable housing working group led to a deluge of desperate emails from ‘second wave’ gentrifiers, three-and-four year residents of the neighborhood who say they’re already being forced out.
“The concern that’s in the public conversation is about long term residents being displaced, but I didn’t realize that many of the new residents who are already paying much higher rents are already getting pushed out,” said Trish Tchume, 36, a local resident and organizer with the group who said she was inundated with cries for help from newcomers. “It surprised me it was happening so quickly.”
While gentrifiers gentrifying out earlier waves of gentrifiers is a common enough story in New York, and particularly in Brooklyn, rarely has the pace been so breakneck as it is in the streets and avenues around Franklin.
“I was getting emails from people who live next door to each other,” Tchume said. “A lot of the displacement that happens is predicated on people not talking to each other.”
The working group and its affordable housing clinic was supposed to be an antidote to that, a place where neighbors who might otherwise pass each other with a smile and a nod could begin to have more serious conversations.
“The goal of the meeting is to draw people out,” Tchume said. “One of the things people get so excited about in this area is that it does feel like there’s a chance here to know your neighbors, and that feels like an anomaly.”
Although affordable housing is one of the most prominent and anxiously-debated issues in the neighborhood — and by far the most widely held concern at Crow Hill’s Town Hall — Tchume said the working group has struggled to organize tenants around it.
“There wasn’t another issue that came up with that frequency,” she said, noting that the popular narrative around gentrification and displacement has helped stymie efforts for change. “It bothers me, because it keeps people from doing anything. When you frame displacement as something that just naturally happens, people feel like there’s nothing they can or should do.”
Mida K'neged Mida
What goes around comes around.
Anon
What do you mean?
Mida K'neged Mida
I mean that the early wave of gentrifiers, i.e. those who paid more and thus displaced the poorer folk who had lived there before, are now themselves being gentrified, i.e. priced out, according to the article.
Say that again
Cliches and catch phrases stitched together to make an incoherent article. Who is chasing whom out? Who or what are 3rd generation residents? Where is the displacement? Who is driving people out?
How about explaining this line: “…the popular narrative around gentrification and displacement has helped stymie efforts for change…”
nu?
WHERE IS THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL? HOW COME THEY ARE NEVER AROUND WHEN THERE IS AN URGENT NEED. ITS NICE THEY DO FOOD STAMPS AND MEDICAID , HOUSING HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT BUT NOW ITS NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR OUR FAMILY NEEDS.
WHERE IS THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL WHEN THERE IS A REAL NEED!
Fresser Rebbe
BH
Not to rock the boat too much, however, why is it that one of our choshuve Rosh Mesivtah’s here in Crown Heights refurbishes a large building corner President and Albany (heart of OUR community) and fills it with einum yehudim, who are able to pay a higher price.
“Learning that does not bring to practice” just check it up for your self in Pirkey Avos
Lubavitch Sheb'Lubavitch
I have complained about this for years.
Anyone with eyes could see that CH would become like Park Slope. For many it is a relief from the current matzav, but it comes with its own baggage…
As reported, home prices and rents are going up. This is great for realtors but terrible for young families that cannot afford or compete with the “double income no kids” hipsters.
Without our youth, CH will become just another antiquated, aging community because everyone will have to move out. (as it is, many of our youth want to “check out” from here)
The only ones here will be the few families that managed to buy homes for their kids etc. And how long will that last when someone caves and decides to “cash out” to some rich guy and move to Fla?
The Rebbe saw this 35 years ago and that it why he created Chevro.
However, as we all know, this became corrupted and failed (vDal)
The solution NOW is to reinstate this program. Wealthy individuals should be encouraged to buy real estate in CH (it is a good investment) and rent them to young families etc. Funds should be established to subsidize housing etc. (when was the last time a building was dedicated to subsidized housing – 30 years ago?!)
I am sure that many of the small minded people will complain with:
“no one needs to give you a handout” or “If you can’t afford it then move out!” or “get real – this is ‘market value’ economics” etc.
This rationale, besides being decidedly UN-JEWISH, is detrimental to all of us as a community (if we can still call us that).
The Rebbe had an altruistic vision – yet today we greedily scoff at this as being un-realistic! (Ironic, because, at the ‘time’, Chabad in America was also ‘un-realistic’!)
This may not be as popular a cause as “friendship circle” or JLI, but if it not addressed, 770 will become an isolated bastion of the Rebbe’s hopes for this community.
Where is “chassidim ein mishpacha”? Or is it that you’re only part of the “mishpacha” if you are rich?
KvCT -STuM
Whooooooo cares
These are not controllable factors like medicaid and food stamps. If you can’t afford to live two blocks from 770, MOVE FURTHER AWAY. This is what we call life, deal with it!
Citizen Berel
Hello, Mr Whooooo cares.
How is the weather now in the country.
Will you be eating with your parents or with your in laws this Shabbos?
with the old breed
hey, maybe this is what all you guys need. time to turn on the lights and see just what is going on. Are you really up to speed or not?
so here are your choices. 1) move out. where to? can you stay Lubavitch or frum outside? 2) stay put pay and pay and pay both for you homes and yeshivas which are all rasing their prices.
time to get a personal Rav and ask some good question. hey we love you guys and wish you all the best for this up coming year.
to all those....
to all those who are so excited about our new neighbors, and that crime will come come down, i ask you, what good is a safe community if you cant afford to live in it!??
Whooooooo cares
So you’re admitting you’d rather live in an unsafe neighborhood over a safe one, over one factor? Money?
Wow, shows what you value in life…
Unsolvable
There is no way to overcome this issue. There are now hundreds of yuppies living in the inner CH area, and it is impossible for Frum yungerleit to compete with them.
Forget buying… RENT is now not affordable.
Anonymous
You can’t stop this. When white folks want to take over they take over. Check their history.
change
we have to do like Satmar ,Sqare we need a place in upstate NY with affordable housing, free for teachers, get the best melamdim, and s superb girls school. CH is for the old, and we have to move on, to create more
Anonymous
Nothing is free.
Why don't the yuppies go to Detroit?
And thus get cheap rent & they will also help bring back the economy there & help the underprivileged poor(they love Tikun Olam), instead of coming to NYC in general & CH in particular & spiking higher the already high real estate / rent, (they are part of the spike I the first place),
What they need kosher food?
They need a Mikvah?
Or they need 770?
Probably not, so Detroit is waiting for you.
Well...
The ‘yuppies’ are there for the NYC jobs which they need. Last I looked there are no jobs in Detroit.
Anonymous
It’s a free country. And, the yuppies are not the problem. You can’t blame people who have money. NY real estate is literally a new form of class warfare.
Jack Sharfstein
Thank GD I live in Montana .Crown Heights.should move upstate and build a giant agricultural community for lubavithers.Go rural and live off the land.Urban living kills you spirit an destroys your soul
Agreed...
The Amish agricultural communities are known to have very low unemployment, very rarely on welfare or even foodstamps (they actually will refuse food stamps) and pay full taxes.
Anonymous
The mice will be able to live off their gourmet food.
For comment Number 6
Mr. Fresser Rebber, or anyone of the readres, would you please explain your comments
yossi
Gentrification is great for yidden.That is a fact.Lower crime and decent neigbors. Even if you want to compare to williamsburg, the yiddishe community has not moved anywhere, in fact it has doubled since the first wave of gentrification
sruli
agree with yossi. the yiddishe Williamburg community is thriving. by the way…i live in a NYCHA development. i wish it was gentrified.