2026 SOCIAL HOUSING CONFERENCE | PARSONS X UHAB
Monday, April 20th
9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
New School University Center
Parsons School of Design
The New School
Join us for a full-day event bringing together community members, housing organizers, practitioners, academics, public officials and social housing advocates to engage in generative discussions, and advance the future of community- controlled, permanently affordable housing in New York City and beyond. This is a formative moment in New York City’s history. Our new administration has committed to bolder and more equitable housing solutions. With over 50 years of experience in preserving and creating community-controlled housing, UHAB’s expertise and strong network of partners will drive the conversation on social housing and cooperative ownership toward collective action.
REGISTRATION
If you are currently enrolled in or teach in an urban program at The New School, you may attend at no cost. Registration is required, providing your full name, program, and email. This information will be reviewed prior to the conference and verified at the entrance upon presentation of your New School ID card. As seating for urban students is limited, once you register you are committing to attend. If you have questions or are unable to attend after registering, please write to: housingjustice@newschool.edu.
If you are not an urban student at the New School, please register at UHAB’s 2026 Social Housing Conference site.
WHAT IS SOCIAL HOUSING?
Social housing is a model of housing ownership and management that prioritizes people over profit. Rather than being treated primarily as a commodity on the private market, social housing is shaped by public purpose, democratic control, and long-term affordability. In practice, social housing can take many forms — from public housing and community land trusts to limited-equity cooperatives — but what unites them is a commitment to stable, community-centered, non-speculative housing that supports equity, security, and resident self-determination.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM. BREAKFAST & REGISTRATION. Starr Foundation Hall, New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. WELCOME REMARKS. Tishman Auditorium, New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
Morning Plenary. Advancing Social Housing: Preservation, Production, and Community Control.
As cities confront deepening housing challenges, there is growing momentum to advance models that prioritize long-term affordability and community control. This opening plenary brings together leaders shaping housing policy and tenant protection in New York City to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of preserving and expanding social housing, and the role of public leadership in building a more equitable housing system.
Moderator: Margy Brown, Executive Director UHAB.
Panelists:
+ Dina Levy, Commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
+ Cea Weaver, Executive Director of the newly formed Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.
10:15 AM – 11:30 AM. CONCURRENT PANELS. Different Venues.
Building Social Housing at Scale:Community Ownership Models, Past & Present.
Location: Tishman Auditorium (Ground Floor), New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
As cities confront deepening housing challenges, there is growing momentum to advance models that prioritize long-term affordability and community control. This opening plenary brings together leaders shaping housing policy and tenant protection in New York City to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of preserving and expanding social housing, and the role of public leadership in building a more equitable housing system.
Moderator: Samuel Stein, Housing Policy Analyst, Community Service Society.
Panelists:
+ Tony Pickett, Chief Executive Officer, Grounded Solutions.
+ Susanne Schindler, Research Fellow, Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies.
+ Julia Duranti-Martinez, Senior Program Office for Community Research and Impact, Local Iniatives Suppport Corporation (LISC).
The Cost of Coverage: Rising Insurance Premiums and the Threat to Affordable Housing.
Location: Starr Foundation Hall (Basement), New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
Across the country, affordable housing providers and resident-controlled buildings are facing dramatic increases in property insurance costs. Driven by climate risk, market consolidation, and shifting underwriting practices, these rising costs are placing new financial pressures on affordable housing and threatening long-term stability for cooperative and nonprofit housing providers. For many limited-equity cooperatives and community-based housing organizations, insurance has quickly become one of the fastest-growing operating expenses—forcing difficult decisions about building maintenance, reserves, and affordability for residents. This panel will examine the growing insurance crisis and its implications for the future of social housing. Panelists will explore the forces driving rising premiums, the impact on affordable housing in New York and nationally, and emerging strategies to respond—including policy reforms, climate resilience investments, and innovative.
Moderator: Rebecca Koepnick, Chief Trategy Office for Portfolio Preservation/Senior Vice President, Office of Housing Preservation, New York State Homes and Community Renewal.
Panelists:
+ John Crotty, Milford Street Captive.
+ James Fenniman, Area Executive Vice President, Senior Director, Construction Practice, Gallagher.
+ David Calvert, HDFC Co-op Board Member & Officer.
11:30 AM – 11:45 AM. COFFEE BREAK. Bark Room, 2 West 13 Street (lobby).
12:15 PM – 1:30 PM. CONCURRENT PANELS. Different Venues.
Decarbonizing Social Housing: An Earth Week Conversation on Climate Justice & Healthy Homes.
Location: Room A 404, 4th Floor, 66 West 12th Street.
As cities work to reduce emissions and improve building performance, decarbonizing affordable and resident-controlled housing presents both urgent challenges and new opportunities. This Earth Week conversation will explore how climate and housing policy intersect, and what it will take to ensure that the transition to cleaner, healthier buildings supports affordability, resident well-being, and community control.
Moderator: Ana Isabel Baptista, Director of the Tishman Center for Environmental Studies and Design (TEDC).
Panelists:
+ Joshua Land, Founder & Head of Partnerships, Copper.
+ Daphany Sanchez, Executive Director, KC.
+ Jennifer Bloom Leone, AIA, Assistant Commissioner, Chief.
+ Sustainability Officer, NYC HPD.
+ Emily Ng, Director Member Services, UHAB
Expanding Social Housing in New York City: Policy, Financing, and Practice.
Location: Bob and Sheila Lecture Hall, New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
Expanding social housing requires more than vision—it requires the policy tools, financing structures, and development partnerships that make projects possible. New York City has a long history of resident-controlled housing, including limited-equity cooperatives and other shared-equity models. Yet developing and preserving these models today involves navigating complex regulatory systems, financing constraints, and development challenges. This panel will bring together leaders from government, development, legal, and cooperative finance, and community members to explore how social housing projects come together in practice. Panelists will discuss the tools currently available to support resident-controlled housing, the barriers that still exist, and what changes could help scale these models across New York City.
Moderator: Andy Reicher, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.
Panelists:
+ Courtney Horwitz, Founder & Principal, Strada Ventures.
+ Rachel Jaffe, Senior Counsel, Goldstein Hall.
+ Stephen Erdman, Assistant Commisioner, Homeownership Opportunities & Preservation, NYC Department of + Housing Preservation and Development.
+ Brandie Moreno, Vice President, Community Preservation Corporation.
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM. LUNCH & NETWORKING. Faculty Lounge, New School University Center, 63, Fifth Avenue.
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM. CONCURRENT PANELS. Different Venues.
Financing the Future: A LIHTC Model for Social Housing.
Location: Bob and Sheila Lecture Hall, New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
As interest in social housing grows, questions of financing remain central to scaling these models. While the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) has shaped affordable housing development in the U.S. for decades, its potential to support cooperative and community-controlled housing is still evolving. This panel will explore how LIHTC and related tools could help unlock new pathways for social housing, and what it would take to bring these models to scale.
Moderator: John Holdsclaw IV, President & CEO, Rochdale Capital.
Panelists:
+ Chuck Laven, Chairman, Forsyth Street.
+ Casey Fannon, President & CEO, National Cooperative Bank.
+ Peter Dean, Director, UHAB National
Sustaining Resident Democracy: Leadership, Culture, and Community Across Generations.
Location: Amphitheater, Room A 404, 66 West 12th Street.
Resident-controlled housing depends not only on ownership structures but on the ability of residents to govern their communities together over time. In limited-equity cooperatives, Mitchell-Lama developments, and tenant associations, residents make decisions collectively about their buildings, finances, and shared spaces. But sustaining resident democracy is not always easy. Buildings are often home to multiple generations, cultures, and languages, and leadership transitions can be challenging as communities change over time. This panel will explore what it takes to sustain democratic governance in resident-controlled housing. Panelists will share their experiences navigating generational change, cultural differences, and leadership transitions while maintaining strong and inclusive resident leadership. The conversation will focus on the everyday practices that keep resident democracy alive—from organizing and participation to conflict resolution and leadership development.
Moderator: Gabriela Rendón, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Community Development, Parsons School of Design.
Panelists:
+ Warren Harding, Steering Committee Chair, Mitchell-Lama United.
+ David Calvert, Affordable Housing is for All (AHIFA).
+ Adele Niederman, Cooperators United 4 Mitchell-Lama.
+ Francina Branch-Elysee, Affordable Housing Is for All (AHIFA).
+Toni Marrero, HOPE Steering Committee Member.
+ Curt Goodluck, HOPE Member
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM. CLOSING REMARKS. Kaplan Auditorium, 66 12th Street.
Afternoon Plenary: Tenant Takeover: Campaigns to Plan the Future of Social Housing.
Across New York City, tenants are testing out new ways of taking control of their homes. Tenants are organizing through disinvestment, foreclosure, and bankruptcy to reimagine what their homes can look like. Partners like community land trusts and mission-driven developers are working directly with tenants to preserve their homes. New demands for collectively bargained leases are emerging amidst calls to create new limited equity co-ops, CLTs, and mutual housing associations. Through these building and portfolio organizing campaigns, tenants and their allies are pushing for larger policy changes to map what new social housing can look like in the City. This panel will bring together a range of stakeholders in these campaigns representing tenants, community land trusts, mission-driven developers, and policymakers to explore how these campaigns happen on the ground. Panelists will discuss emergent campaigns for tenant takeovers and how to make them work in practice as we build a new ecosystem of social housing in New York City.
Moderator: Arielle Hersh, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.
Panelists:
+ Juan Barahona, Principal, SMJ Development.
+ Sumathy Kumar, Executive Director, Housing Justice 4 All.
+ Sandy Nurse, NYC Councilmember, District 37.
+ Brian Peters, Community Land Trust (CLT) Director, East Harlem/El Barrio CLT.
+ Michelle Stamp, Dukler Tenant Union.
+ Tracy Rosenthal, Author & Organizer.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. PRIVATE COCKTAIL RECEPTION. Starr Foundation Hall, New School University Center, 63 Fifth Avenue.
This conference has been organized by the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board in partnership with Parsons School of Design and Parsons Housing Justice Lab.
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