A Call for Housing Justice in Harlem

“Isaiah 5:8 says, “Woe to those who join house to house until there is no more room.”

Isaiah’s words land like a warning bell across time, and they feel painfully present in Harlem today.

I am here standing alongside Harlem residents because housing in this city is being treated like a commodity instead of a covenant responsibility.

The proposed One45 development would bring 1,000 new apartments to Central Harlem. But only 20% are labeled “affordable.”

But these so-called “affordable” units are still out of reach for many of the people who have lived here for generations.

So we have to ask: just who exactly is benefitting from this, and at what cost?

Because what we are witnessing is the displacement of Black and Brown families who built Harlem through struggle, creativity, faith, and endurance. They are the backbone of Harlem’s story.

And yet the system continues to measure affordability by regional numbers that ignore local reality.

New York State’s Area Median Income is over $145,000 for a family of three. That is nearly three times Harlem’s median income.

So longtime residents are priced out.

Communities are fractured.”

– Rev. Mira Sawlani-Joyner