How a $21 Million Habitat for Humanity Project Left Brooklyn Tenants Homeless

Habitat for Humanity has built hundreds of thousands of homes for low-income families around the world. But problems arose around an ambitious housing project in Brooklyn. ProPublica reporter Marcelo Rochabrun talks about his investigation, “How Habitat for Humanity Went to Brooklyn and Poor Families Lost Their Homes.” He reveals how Habitat paid millions to developers and in the process may have aided schemes to force poor tenants out of their homes. 

The following is a statement from Karen Haycox, CEO of Habitat-NYC: 

“Habitat-NYC stands by our handling of grants in the National Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2), which enabled us to help 105 families by transforming buildings in extremely poor conditions into safe and affordable homes. We took numerous steps to ensure that the acquisitions we made through the NSP2 program were in full compliance with grant guidelines and all legal requirements. 

Habitat NYC reaffirms we were unequivocally unaware of any coercive tactics, and we condemn any such measures. If the former property owners took such actions, it is reprehensible. We are encouraging the seven displaced families who were named in the April 1 article to contact us directly. We want to better understand their situations and help them find solutions that meet their needs. We stand ready to guide any affected residents through our application process or connect them with other appropriate affordable housing resources, as we do with all families who reach out to us. Last year, Habitat NYC referred more than 240 families to our colleague housing organizations for such counseling and support.

Over the last 30 years, Habitat-NYC has built a strong record of transparent and ethical operations, and we are proud of the transformational work we do every day to help New York families become homeowners.”