Housing Justice for All, also known as Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance, is a sponsored project of Voices of Community Activists and Leaders (VOCAL-NY) that advocates for left-of-center housing policies in New York state, including expanded rent control, public rent subsidies, and restrictions on evictions and rent increases.

Founding

Housing Justice for All was founded in 2017 in Albany, New York as a coalition of community groups aligned against the real-estate industry in New York state. Housing Justice for all claims to contain 80 organizations that represent tenants and the homeless in New York. ¹

Activities

Housing Justice for All argues that housing is a human right and advocates for policies to protect tenants from eviction and to guarantee housing for the homeless. ² The organization seeks enactment of policies granting every tenant increased protections against evictions and rent increases, the creation of a statewide rental subsidy program, increased rights for tenants to govern their building when it is put up for sale, expansion of rent control, and increased public housing “insulated from market forces.” ³

Housing Justice for All provides the public and its member organizations toolkits to promote its policy goals, including toolkits to fight rent hikes, conduct a rent strike, and leverage the power of storytelling. ⁴

Housing Justice for All claims credit for the passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 in New York state, ⁵ legislation that, among other provisions, removed the sunset provision on the law guaranteeing extra protections to tenants, increased protections on rent-controlled apartments, and limited the ability of landlords to raise rents. ⁶

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Housing Justice for All launched a campaign to block evictions under the banner “#CancelRent.” Following this campaign, the organization claimed credit for an eviction moratorium in the state in 2021. ⁷

In 2022, Housing Justice for All successfully lobbied the town of Kingston to become the first city in upstate New York to adopt rent control since the 1970s. ⁸

Funding

Housing Justice for All also operates under the name Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance, which is fiscally sponsored by VOCAL-NY, a New York-based membership organization that advocates for liberal policies relating to criminal justice, drug policy, housing, and homelessness, and in favor of increased state spending on social service. ⁹

In 2021, VOCAL-NY gave at least $105,000 to support Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance campaigns. ¹⁰

In 2022, Vocal-NY gave over $122,000 to support Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance campaigns. ¹¹

Member and Affiliate Organizations

Notable member organizations of Housing Justice for All include the Community Service Society of New York (CSSNY), a left-of-center advocacy organization formed to fight poverty; New York Communities for Change, a left-wing community organizing group associated with labor unions; New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a nonprofit civil rights law firm; New York Working Families Party, a left-wing political party based in Brooklyn; and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, an activist group that uses the left-wing concept of intersectionality to advocate for identity based public programs. ¹²

Housing Justice for All’s Steering Committee includes Citizen Action of New York, a left-of-center voter mobilization group; Community Voices Heard, a left-wing nonprofit promoting increased funding on social welfare, housing, and transportation; For the Many, an advocacy group promoting left-of-center economic, racial, and environmental policies in New York; NYC Democratic Socialists of America, a local affiliate of a far-left political faction in the United States; New York Communities for Change; and VOCAL-NY. ¹³

1. “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/
2. “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/.
3. “Our Platform.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/our-platform/.
4. “Toolkits.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/toolkits/.
5. “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/.
6. Lebovits, Gerald, et al. “NY’s Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019- Part II—WHAT LAWYERS MUST KNOW.” NYSBA. November 1, 2019. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://nysba.org/nys-housing-stability-and-tenant-protection-act-of-2019-part-ii-what-lawyers-must-know/.
7. “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/.
8.  “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/.
9. “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/.
10. Voices of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY) Inc.. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2021.
11. Voices of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY) Inc.. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2020.
12. “Our Members.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/members/
13. “Steering Committee.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://housingjusticeforall.org/steering-committee/