Leo Zhu /
Housing Justice for All /
New York, USA /
It’s been quite a busy month with Housing Justice for All! In gearing up for the Fall, when the coalition will be releasing a formal report on the state of housing in New York, I’ve been working closely with the fellow intern, Nick, to gather information on Governor Andrew Cuomo and his role in contributing to the ongoing housing crisis.
It was fascinating to discover the behind-the-scenes involvement that Cuomo has had with developers and investors statewide—information that was difficult to uncover outside of his strategic press releases to the public.
In other news, I spent some time this past month helping the coalition with their summer fundraiser. Though I’ve helped facilitate some fundraisers in the past, it was a new experience for me nevertheless: based off of the donations we received, I was able to somewhat gauge the “reach” our coalition had throughout the State and how robust our base of supporters is. It’s safe to say I was surprised with the amount we raised—over $10,000 within a week!—and was glad to see it put to good use. The donations helped fund our launch of what we call the “Summer Strategy Sessions,” which are a series of base-building meetings in which we educate and train our coalition members to help them better prepare for involvement and advocacy.
This past month, I also participated in mass text-banking for the first time. Though the process was quite tedious, with many recipients of our texts showing little to no interest in our cause, what made the experience worth it for me were responses I received from tenants eager to share their experiences as renters in New York and share what they felt could be important steps in the fight against unjust evictions, gentrification, luxury development, and homelessness.
All in all, I’m feeling satisfied with the work I’ve done with Housing Justice for All. Though I’m heading into my last few weeks working with the coalition, I’m excited to give it my all and I’m incredibly grateful to be working with such amazing people.