Community Action Program

Neighbors Together’s Community Action Program engages our members in grassroots community organizing, leadership development, and policy and legislative advocacy. We center our members’ voices and their lived experiences as a guide for the best understanding of solutions in our community. We believe that people are the experts in their own lives. Since 2020, we have engaged over 1,200 members in community organizing and policy advocacy efforts.

Our Campaigns

City Campaigns

For the vast majority of people with housing vouchers, source of income discrimination (SOI) remains one of the largest barriers to accessing stable housing. Source of income discrimination takes many forms, from blatantly denying vouchers to minimum income and credit score requirements. Regardless of the tactic, SOI discrimination keeps people homeless. The six bills introduced in this bill package were created by people with vouchers who have experienced SOI discrimination firsthand. They are designed to disincentivize discrimination against voucher holders by hitting landlords in the place they care about most- their wallets. From preventing discriminators access to building permits and tax incentives, to making information on SOI discrimination findings public -these bills are meant to make landlords think twice about discriminating.

Intro 1210: Increases fines for violations of the New York City Commission on Human Rights orders

This bill will increase penalties for landlords and brokers who violate an order coming from the City Commission on Human Rights.

Intro 1211: Increases fines for discrimination in housing

Increases civil penalties for unlawful discriminatory practices, harassment, and violence.

Fines will increase to match the landlord’s portfolio size, so that there are real financial disincentives for discriminating.

Intro 1212: Bans credit checks and minimum income requirements for voucher holders

Bans credit history and minimum income requirements for voucher holders and anyone in their household.

This bill will help prevent a more subtle form of source of income discrimination, and will remove the systemic bias of credit history as a barrier for voucher holders.

Intro 1213: Adds SOI to the Certificate of No Harassment Program

SOI discrimination will be considered a form of harassment in the Certificate of No Harassment Program.

The Certificate of No Harassment Program prevents owners found guilty of harassment from obtaining any permits to alter or demolish the building, and potentially require the owner to construct a certain percentage of low income housing units to address the harassment finding.

Intro 1214: Publicly lists SOI discrimination findings

Landlords who discriminate against prospective or current tenants will have the findings of discrimination listed on a publicly available website.

This will help inform prospective and current tenants of the history of SOI discrimination so that they can make informed choices when searching for housing and are better prepared to document potential discrimination.

Intro 1215: Creates standards for transparency in tenant screening criteria

This bill will require notification in writing to all prospective tenants applying for an apartment, of the screening criteria that will be used to select a tenant.

When tenants are rejected from an apartment, the landlord must provide in writing, within 3 business days, the reasons that the tenant was not selected.

State Campaigns

Prior Wins

Leadership Development

At Neighbors Together we prioritize leadership development. We help hone and grow our members’ skills and knowledge so that they can be the best possible advocates for themselves, their communities, and the policy changes that will improve their lives.

Neighbors Together creates many informal leadership development opportunities through our campaigns, and we also run more formal leadership development programs, such as our two-part Leadership Development Series and our Apprenticeship Program.

Building member power to create a more equitable and just New York for everyone.