Bed Stuy Brownstones photo credit: James Andrews1 Shutterstock - 1
James Andrews1 / Shutterstock
Bed Stuy Brownstones photo credit: James Andrews1 Shutterstock - 1
Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman has introduced a sweeping affordability plan aimed at stabilizing housing, increasing incomes, and reducing everyday costs for residents in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. The proposal outlines targeted actions to prevent displacement, strengthen tenant and homeowner protections, and expand economic opportunities, while addressing broader cost-of-living pressures facing families across Brooklyn’s 56th District.
Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman Releases Comprehensive Affordability Plan for Brooklyn’s 56th District
A Roadmap to Keep Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights Families in Their Homes, Strengthen Incomes, and Protect Generational Wealth
BROOKLYN, NY — April 29, 2026 — Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman today released a comprehensive affordability plan to address rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and displacement in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights.
Titled Building Our Slice of Brooklyn — Together, the plan lays out a focused strategy to stabilize housing, grow incomes, and reduce the cost of living for families across the 56th Assembly District.
The plan is grounded in a simple principle:
Affordability = Income + Housing Stability.
“The 56th District is at the center of New York City’s affordability crisis,” said Assemblymember Zinerman. “Rents are rising, incomes are not keeping pace, and too many families are being pushed out of the communities they built. This plan is about delivering real relief, protecting our residents, and making sure affordability in Brooklyn is not just a conversation—it’s a reality.”
Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman photo credit: CJ PHOTOGRAPHY ENT - 1
CJ PHOTOGRAPHY ENT
Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman
Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman photo credit: CJ PHOTOGRAPHY ENT - 1
CJ PHOTOGRAPHY ENT
Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman
THE CHALLENGE
In Central Brooklyn, roughly three-quarters of households are renters, and a significant share are rent-burdened—paying more than 30 percent of their income toward housing.
In Bedford-Stuyvesant, median rents now hover around $3,200, with sharp increases in recent years. At the same time, median household income remains around $80,000, and about one in five residents lives below the poverty line.
Longtime homeowners are also facing increasing pressure from deed theft, predatory tax lien sales, and speculative investment activity that threatens generational wealth and community stability.
“Affordability is not abstract here,” said Zinerman. “It is the difference between staying in your home and being displaced from the neighborhood you helped build.”
THE PLAN: THREE CORE PRIORITIES
1. Secure Housing and Prevent Displacement
The plan prioritizes protecting both renters and homeowners while addressing market forces driving up costs.
Key actions include advancing anti-deed theft legislation, ending predatory tax lien sales, and strengthening tenant protections such as Right to Counsel and enforcement against source-of-income discrimination. The plan also supports reforming Area Median Income (AMI) calculations to better reflect neighborhood realities.
Zinerman is also advancing oversight of legislation to curb speculative and foreign investment in residential properties, ensuring housing in Central Brooklyn is used for stability—not speculation.
Public housing remains a critical component of the strategy. The plan calls for sustained investment in NYCHA developments, including funding for repairs and stronger resident oversight, while opposing policies that shift public housing toward privatization or displacement.
2. Raise Incomes and Expand Economic Opportunity
Recognizing that affordability cannot be achieved without higher wages, the plan focuses on connecting residents to career-track opportunities.
This includes full implementation of Community Hiring to ensure local residents benefit from publicly funded projects, as well as expanded workforce pipelines in growing industries such as clean energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and technology.
The plan also supports tuition-free education pathways and workforce access for underserved populations, including New Yorkers with disabilities.
3. Lower the Cost of Daily Life
Beyond housing, the plan addresses everyday expenses that strain family budgets.
Key strategies include expanding access to healthcare, strengthening rent protections for seniors and people with disabilities through SCRIE and DRIE, investing in childcare as essential economic infrastructure, and combating price gouging across essential goods.
The plan also includes investments in youth programming, literacy initiatives, and workforce pathways to ensure long-term stability for the next generation.
A RECORD OF RESULTS
Zinerman emphasized that the plan builds on a track record of delivering for the district.
Her legislative accomplishments include the Community Hiring Act and the Plain Language Bill, along with securing the permanent land conveyance for the Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corporation.
She has also delivered significant capital investments, including $6 million for the Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corporation, $1.3 million for the Cultural Museum of African Art, and $1.2 million toward the redevelopment of the Marcus Garvey Armory.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Zinerman will roll out the plan through community forums, tenant organizations, faith institutions, and local partners across Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights in the coming weeks.
“This is a contract with The Vibrant 56,” said Zinerman. “We are not waiting for change—we are building it. Together.”
ABOUT ASSEMBLYMEMBER STEFANI L. ZINERMAN
Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman represents the 56th Assembly District, including Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. She serves as Deputy Majority Whip and Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce.
MEDIA CONTACT : Shantini Alleyne Cooper | [email protected]
NYC Newswire Distribution paid for by Zinerman for NY Assembly 56
