Housing is one of the biggest issues facing Bushwick today. Rents are rising and as colossal new buildings come up, the apartments – even the affordable housing units – are priced out of range for many of the neighborhood’s longtime residents.
Data from the city council shows that Bushwick residents are demanding affordable housing options and they also want help navigating the process to obtain affordable housing.
In 2017, Bushwick city council members received 800 calls from constituents and, over 30 percent of those calls were related to housing or buildings. About 22 percent of the total, representing over 170 calls, were specifically about affordable housing issues. Residents called for help seeking affordable housing, entering the HPD Lottery, filling out a new NYCHA application, and dealing with other Section 8-related questions.
Other key issues that people called about included food stamps, which accounted for 14 percent of calls and immigration-related issues, which accounted for 15 percent of all calls last year.
This is according to data from NYC Council Constituent Services, a system where city council members’ staff track the calls they receive from constituents.
Reaching out to city council is just one of the ways that constituents can raise issues. Another option is to call 311, the city’s non-emergency hotline. Last year, Bushwick Daily analyzed 311 complaint data, which revealed that noise-related issues are also one of the top concerns in the neighborhood. It also showed that 48 Jefferson Street, an assuming building on the corner of Stanwix and Jefferson, had the most 311 complaints of any address in Brooklyn.
So, that’s your neighborhood fact of the week, Bushwick. Have a question about the neighborhood that you want us to try and answer using data? Leave a comment below!
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Cover image courtesy of Alec Meeker
