The Buffalo Common Council established the Affordable Housing Task Force (AHTF or Task Force) to develop policy recommendations that address the lack of affordable housing in the City of Buffalo. This document is the first of two reports the Task Force  intends to release in 2023-2024. It focuses on implementing pre-existing policies and making small changes to enhance them.

This document consists of an introduction and four parts, all designed to create a fact-based foundation for thinking and making decisions about a range of housing and neighborhood-related issues.

LISC listened to hundreds of community members around their priorities for health, housing, jobs, small business, mobility, safety, development priorities, and culture. They analyzed demographics, economics, employment and housing trends, reviewed existing plans, examined neighborhood conditions, and interviewed stakeholders.

This report examines key variables that explain the black-white homeownership gap and estimates the role that income, education, credit score, and marital status play both nationally and locally in 105 MSAs with large black populations.

How lending practices have prevented New Yorkers of color from purchasing homes and deepened wealth inequality.

This report provides empirical research on a set of problems that if solved, can significantly improve the racial wealth gap.

This analysis of the current economic environment, as well as citation of the barriers to homeownership that Blacks face, provides a roadmap on what areas we must address to increase Black homeownership and wealth. 

This brief provides detailed information about the people in Erie County who are / were experiencing homelessness as well as the reasons they lost their housing. 

Examples from Buffalo and around the nation prove that vacant urban land can be repurposed for affordable housing, community gardens, urban farms, parks, playgrounds, trails, green infrastructure, public art, and other beneficial uses.

The Four-Year Strategic Plan is centered around four strategic priorities:

Thriving neighborhoods and people
Smart and sustainable infrastructure
Climate resilience
Economic opportunities and mobility

This paper outlines a bold vision and a strategic approach to show how we can change the Black East Side into a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.