Brooklyn’s Black history is deeply tied to housing and resilience. Enslaved African Americans lived in Brooklyn until New York abolished slavery in 1827. After gaining freedom, many settled in DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn, building homes, schools, businesses, and churches that shaped the borough’s identity.
In 1838, James Weeks founded Weeksville, one of the largest independent Black communities in the U.S., providing a safe haven for free and formerly enslaved Black people. Today, the Weeksville Heritage Center preserves this legacy, with a $3.9 million restoration underway for its Historic Hunterfly Road Houses.
Brooklyn’s Black communities have always fought for housing, and that work continues today. IMPACCT Brooklyn is building on this legacy—811 Lexington Avenue Senior Residences recently opened, providing 64 deeply affordable units for older adults at risk of homelessness, with another 60-unit project at 778 Myrtle Avenue set to open in 2025.
IMPACCT Brooklyn partners with developers to expand affordable and supportive housing across Brooklyn. Learn more: here
