Members of the New York City Council are set to introduce legislation that will make it easier to create affordable housing for artists.
The legislation, which Manhattan-based Councilmembers Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher expect to introduce on Wednesday, is intended to alleviate the dearth of affordable housing for artists in the nation’s cultural capital.
Powers said in an interview that the problem was an unintended consequence of a change to the city’s human rights law, which he said was widely interpreted as preventing occupation-specific housing.
“ We know how important it is to New York City to have vibrant artists in our communities,” Powers said, “and we know about the housing crisis.”
Powers said he grew up as a “punk kid” in the East Village who went to CBGBs, Brownies and other local music venues. At the time, he said many of the artists who performed locally also resided nearby.
“ It was known as a bastion of artists and musicians and many lived around there to be part of that,” Powers said. “I think that has shifted a lot with the affordability problem here in Manhattan, where somebody who's trying to work close to where they make a living is having a much harder time to do it on an artist's salary.”
The legislation has the backing of some cultural leaders.
Randi Berry, the executive director of IndieSpace, an organization that supports independent theater, called artists “the backbone” of the city’s cultural and economic life but often excluded from affordable housing because of the nature of their professional lives.
“Many juggle multiple jobs and gig work to make ends meet, so census data rarely identifies them as full-time artists,” said Berry in a statement provided by Powers’ office. “As a result, thousands remain ineligible for the housing meant to support working people.”
Although anecdotal evidence suggests many artists have fled New York City due to high housing costs, actual data is hard to come by. However by certain measures artists in the five boroughs have struggled to stay afloat for years.
The “Portrait of New York State Artists” survey in 2022 revealed that 57% of more than 13,000 respondents earned less than $25,000 in the previous year and nearly 86% earned less than $50,000. Sixty-three percent of respondents said that if they were hit with an unexpected expense of $400 they would only be able to pay using credit.
A 2017 survey of local artists found that 40% couldn’t afford supplies, and in the rare instance when new artists housing was made available at affordable rates, 53,000 applicants vied for just 89 apartments in Harlem, a ratio of nearly 600 artists per available home.
Eric Shiner, the president of Powerhouse Arts, said in a statement that “many individuals in our creative community are being forced out of the city.”
"When artists and cultural workers can no longer afford to live in New York City, we risk losing what makes this city extraordinary,” Shiner said. “This bill clarifies that housing programs for artists are not discriminatory but essential for supporting the working artists who shape our cultural landscape.”
