LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO
Reflecting on Achievements and Planning Ahead: The Housing Partnership's Path Forward
Jamie A. Smarr, Housing Partnership President & CEO
Dear Friends and Partners,
The Housing Partnership has a proud track record of "getting things done" for New Yorkers, true to the founding principles of its creators, David Rockefeller and Mayor Edward Koch.
For example, the Housing Partnership, as part of the economic recovery of New York City in the 1980s and 1990s, used hundreds of vacant and underutilized City-owned parcels to create 35,000 affordable homeownership opportunities, helping to create an entire generation of first time Black and Latino homeowners in New York City. New York City's neighborhoods have blossomed with housing opportunities since.
In 2024, the Housing Partnership began considering a new strategic plan as it looks to its next 40 years of serving New York. We expect no drastic changes: our core business will continue to create economic opportunities and promoting stable and thriving New York neighborhoods by increasing access to affordable housing.
Yet, a strategic plan necessarily requires us to think about how we will carry out these strategies. The Housing Partnership cannot assume that our existing programs and strategies will continue to produce the same housing results, especially when New Yorkers need affordable housing opportunities more than ever.
A new strategic plan also requires thoughtful engagement and policy collaboration. To that end, we appreciate the help and time that our City and State housing partners, HPD, HDC, NYCHA and DHCR, provided the Housing Partnership during the strategic planning process. The help of our housing partners assures that we will arrive at a strategic plan that is closely aligned with our housing leadership to produce the maximum desirable outcomes.
For now, please join me in reviewing some of the achievements in service to New Yorkers, that we recorded in 2024. ●
