Facing housing challenges? We’re here to help
FAC and our affiliate Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) were founded by residents and advocates determined to stop displacement and preserve affordable housing in South Brooklyn. We continue that work today by organizing tenants to build collective power, protect their homes, and advance city- and state-wide housing justice campaigns.
Individual Tenant Counseling
Need help with a landlord issue?
Tenant Organizing
Tenants can win repairs, stop harassment, and preserve affordability when they stand together. We support residents to:
- Build and sustain tenant associations in their buildings.
- Develop leadership through workshops and trainings.
- Join coalitions fighting for stronger tenant protections.
- Take action through campaigns, hearings, and advocacy.
Tenant Coalition
Brooklyn Tenants United (BTU) is a grassroots coalition of tenants from Park Slope and Sunset Park working together to protect affordable housing and strengthen their communities.
BTU members meet regularly to share experiences, learn about their rights, and take collective action.
Through BTU, tenants:
- Develop leadership skills and organize within their buildings.
- Participate in housing justice campaigns across NYC.
- Advocate at public hearings and community events.
- Build solidarity across neighborhoods facing displacement.
Brooklyn neighborhoods should be safe, thriving places for everyone to live, work, and play.
In areas like Gowanus, Park Slope, and nearby communities, change is constant. New buildings, updated parks, public housing renovations, and infrastructure projects are reshaping the landscape. The South Brooklyn Accountable Development Initiative (SBADI) brings neighbors together to ensure these changes reflect community needs and benefit longtime residents, low-income families, and those at risk of displacement.
We organize and win.
Through SBADI, FAC launched the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice (GNCJ) in response to the city’s proposed rezoning of the neighborhood. Formed in 2017, GNCJ brought together local organizations and residents to create a community-driven plan that demanded real investment and equity in the face of rapid development.
In 2021, GNCJ secured major commitments from the city, including:
- $450 million for public housing, infrastructure, and community needs, including $200 million dedicated to repairs and upgrades at local NYCHA developments.
- Creation of the city’s first-ever community-controlled rezoning oversight task force to hold agencies accountable to their promises.
- A racial equity impact study showing that GNCJ’s demands would increase racial integration in the neighborhood.
These wins show what’s possible when residents organize, advocate, and demand development that reflects their needs.
Gowanus Oversight Task Force
The Task Force is a diverse group of community stakeholders that help advance a more just, inclusive, and resilient Gowanus, by holding the City accountable to its commitments in the neighborhood rezoning’s 56 Points of Agreement (POA), as well as community goals outlined in the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan. At FAC, we educate and mobilize local residents to learn about the Task Force’s work and to be a part of it.
Want to get involved?
Public Housing Residents: Know Your Rights
Are you a resident of Gowanus Houses, Wyckoff Houses, or Warren Street Houses? Do you have concerns about your housing conditions and upcoming renovations to your building? Or do you want to develop the leadership skills to help make a difference in your building?
Learn about upcoming Know Your Rights workshops and get involved.
Thomas Greene Park Planning
As part of the Gowanus rezoning, the city has committed to cleaning up and improving Thomas Greene Park. Join us to plan for its future and ensure that the park is a safe, fun and relaxing place for all community members.
Brooklyn deserves safe, resilient neighborhoods in the face of climate change.
In communities like Red Hook and Gowanus, the impacts of rising seas, extreme storms, and aging infrastructure fall hardest on low-income families and public housing residents. Superstorm Sandy showed how quickly homes can flood, heat and electricity can fail, and entire communities can be cut off from vital services.
The South Brooklyn Accountable Development Initiative (SBADI) brings residents and organizations together to ensure climate resilience efforts reflect community priorities and deliver benefits equitably. We work to influence climate policy, secure resilient infrastructure improvements, and make sure that billions in public and private investments advance environmental justice for public housing residents, waterfront neighborhoods, and the city as a whole.
Want to join us?
A Better Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE)
Join with your neighbors to envision and advocate for an improved BQE that results in a safer and healthier environment. Email or call us to get involved.
Emergency Preparedness
Gowanus and Park Slope residents; join SBADI to learn about how to prepare for and keep you and your neighbors safe during extreme weather events, and to create emergency plans for our communities
FAC and our affiliate organizations welcome people of all backgrounds and identities to apply to and participate in our programs and services.
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