FLUSHING — An interfaith coalition that includes Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens secured commitments from two of three mayoral candidates to work with the organization to build affordable housing in New York City over the next decade.
Both Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate, and former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, appeared at a mayoral forum at Queens College sponsored by the organization Metro IAF NY on Oct. 19.
Each man pledged that if he won, he would work with the coalition on housing and other issues. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa did not attend the forum.
Metro IAF NY pushed for commitments from the candidates to build 500,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years, including building 50,000 of those units within the first 24 months of taking office.
Metro IAF NY also demanded that 35,000 affordable units be constructed on 1,009 city-owned parcels of land, 10,000 units for senior citizens be built on underutilized New York City Housing Authority land, and housing to be built on land owned by churches and other religious organizations willing to work with the city, as well.
Metro IAF NY leaders said they have conducted surveys to identify specific parcels of land where they said housing could be built.
“This is an agenda that looks not so different than mine did on Oct. 23 (2024) when I started this race. It’s a question of will,” Mamdani told the audience of 2,000 people that attended the forum at the college’s Colden Auditorium.
Mamdani, who spoke about affordable housing at a previous Metro IAF NY forum on June 1 before he won the Democratic primary, said his commitment is still the same.
“I am a man of my word, and I am a man who is looking to come to this stage, not in the language of abracadabra, but of the things that I can actually deliver,” he said. “Those are the thoughts I made then. These are the results I deliver now. And I say that because I think that’s the least of what we deserve here in this city for the next four years.”
Cuomo, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton, said it takes partnerships to get building projects off the ground and to fix problems at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
“It’s partnering with tenant associations in NYCHA,” Cuomo explained. “It’s partnering with local officials to actually make change. It’s always about partnerships.
“It’s also about the team you’re bringing to government,” he added. “You have to have the political will, which we have. But you need people who know how to do the job.”
The city’s housing crunch is easy to explain, according to Cuomo.
“We have an affordability crisis because we have a supply problem,” he said. “When you have no supply, the landlord can charge whenever he wants.”
The two candidates never appeared onstage together, a consequence of the format laid out by the forum’s sponsor, which set strict time limits on speaking time, giving each man only a few minutes to address the audience and calling for them to speak one at a time to avoid political fireworks.
Founded in 1980, Metro IAF NY is an interfaith coalition comprised of several organizations that advocate for affordable housing, safer streets, and mental health initiatives. It is affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation, a network of community organizations around the country.
Two of Metro IAF NY’s member organizations are East Brooklyn Congregations and Queens Power, which both include Catholic churches among their members.
The East Brooklyn Congregations contingent included a busload of parishioners of St. Peter Claver and Our Lady of Victory Churches in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Tiatia Aluka, a parishioner of St. Peter Claver Church, said she was impressed by the candidates but equally impressed by the audience.
“I was inspired by the community and the directness from our people asking the questions. They were adamant about getting clear, direct, actionable answers,” she said on the bus ride back to Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Father Bill Smith, a priest in residence at Our Lady of Victory Church and a founding member of East Brooklyn Congregations, said he was satisfied with the forum’s outcome, particularly because Metro IAF NY was able to secure a commitment from both candiates.
“I think we got what we wanted,” he said.