Brooklyn Tenants Secure New Preservation Owner After Years of Fighting for Repairs and Accountability

Brooklyn, NY – Tenants of four affordable housing buildings in Bed-Stuy are celebrating a new owner after years of fighting for basic repairs and decent living conditions. IMPACCT Brooklyn, a nonprofit affordable housing developer and community development corporation, has purchased the buildings—including 327 Franklin Avenue, 201 Pulaski Street, 709 Lafayette Avenue, and 335 Franklin Avenue—from Food First HDFC, Inc., which had long neglected the properties and filed for bankruptcy. IMPACCT Brooklyn has committed to renovating the buildings and preserving their 57 affordable apartments.

The sale of the four buildings was made possible through the hard work and commitment of the tenant associations, tenants in the buildings, legal advocates, and the intervention of the New York Attorney General’s Office (OAG) in the bankruptcy proceedings, as well as support from New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). OAG intervened to ensure the buildings were not sold to a commercial purchaser, while tenants, who had been fighting for a responsible owner for years, supported the sale to IMPACCT Brooklyn. 

“It’s a relief to know that we have a buyer who intends to support low-income housing, keep this neighborhood affordable, and make repairs for me and other tenants,” said Yolanda Turner, a tenant at 327 Franklin Avenue. “Having affordable rent and good living conditions means a lot to me, and it means a lot for the community and for New York City generally. I look forward to IMPACCT improving our conditions and keeping low-income and minority families in our neighborhood.”

“IMPACCT Brooklyn’s purchase of this bankruptcy portfolio is an incredible victory for the tenants who live in these buildings, including our clients at 327 Franklin Avenue,” said Rachel Nager, a housing attorney with Legal Services NYC’s Tenant Rights Coalition in Brooklyn who represents tenants in these buildings. “For years, tenants have endured horrific living conditions and fought tirelessly in housing court for basic repairs. Now, they can welcome a new owner committed to preserving affordable housing and making the long-overdue repairs and renovations needed to ensure that tenants can live safely and with dignity.”

Tenants have fought hard to hold Food First accountable for basic repairs and decent living conditions for years, including through housing court cases over chronic water leaks, vermin infestations, faulty electrical systems, broken appliances, and unsafe locks on building entry doors, among other things. Tenants have also brought cases in housing court involving harassment and baseless eviction attempts.

In 2024, Food First attempted to auction the buildings to a proposed purchaser without obtaining the required approval from HCR, HPD, and OAG. Interested tenants and their advocates at Brooklyn Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition and the Legal Aid Society, along with OAG, HCR, and HPD, halted the proposed sale after determining that the prospective buyer lacked affordable housing management experience.

The agencies then worked with tenants to identify a responsible purchaser, ultimately leading to IMPACCT Brooklyn’s acquisition of the buildings as an approved preservation buyer. HCR is financing the purchase with a $3 million loan to IMPACCT that requires the buildings to remain affordable for another 30 years, while HPD will fund the buildings’ full rehabilitation.

Tenants, with Legal Services NYC’s Tenant Rights Coalition support, will continue to fight for repairs and decent living conditions and look forward to working with IMPACCT Brooklyn and city and state agencies to finally see repairs and building renovations made.

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About Legal Services NYC

Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC fights every day to ensure New Yorkers, and their families have access to the services, resources, and protections they need to survive.www.legalservicesnyc.org.