Op-Ed: There’s A Humanitarian Crisis in Crown Heights, But We Are Too Busy Fighting To Fix It

by A Crown Heights Resident

I pass by the construction site for the “Mega Homeless shelter” on Clarkson Ave every day. When I see it, my heart beats differently.

Not as much because I fear having a homeless shelter (that is a separate and indeed important discussion), but because I see potential for something we desperately need.

In Crown Heights there is a severe housing crisis. One bedroom apartments nowadays go for around $2000, to purchase a house even in Crown Heights suburbs is no easy feat for your average frum family. Most couples generally flee to Florida or wherever they can find cheaper, not always because they want to but out of financial pressure.

There are many families with 4+ children still in a one bedroom apartment. They are scared to move out and lose their rent price. I do not need to describe the humanitarian crisis this creates.

That spot on Clarkson is the perfect space for us to make housing for our own! Currently I only hear people protesting to stop construction because they don’t want more damage from homeless shelters. Currently the construction is going full speed ahead, it does not look like it’s about to stop. The possible change could be how the final product will be.

We cannot afford to sit back, to be intimidated by the “big guys” in Albany, or wait for someone else to step forward.  The current situation is indeed aggravating, our anguish though must be channeled into action. We can do better for our brothers and sisters, and because we can, we must. Let us stop just fighting what is being built, and start building what we need. 

They are already planning affordable housing there with a mix of unit sizes, but if the final layout heavily favors studios and small apartments to get the unit count high on paper, it won’t solve the crisis for the large families drowning in our neighborhood. We need to push the developers and Albany for a structural change to the layout. We need to advocate for a high percentage of actual three- and four-bedroom units designed for large families, and ensure the local Community Board 9 lottery preferences are fully leveraged. If we change the blueprint to prioritize large family units, we legally and practically save our families.

When you approach government officials with nothing but complaints, you are easily dismissed. But when you walk into the room with blueprints, numbers, and a viable alternative, you change the conversation.

I believe this also has a very high chance of success with our elected officials. In a -government built “by the people, for the people”, to alleviate a severe housing crisis is in everyone’s interest. Meaning if we will be happy, the officials will be too! 

Let’s roll up our sleeves and get prepared for success.

Ready?