IMPACCT Brooklyn is turning to a new source to fight the housing crisis and improve our work: data.
“As nonprofits, it’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing all our efforts on providing services and programs,” Alessandro Magnasco, IMPACCT Brooklyn’s Data Manager, said at the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Developments 2019 annual conference. His comments during a panel entitled “Data & the Movement” were a look into IMPACCT Brooklyn’s future efforts to fight tenant abuse throughout Brooklyn.
“If we use data to build tenant power, to the point that our strategy at every level is driven by the people that live and breathe this fight every day, our decisions come from those who are truly informed—the tenants.”
Data is just organizing information. Right now, each department at IMPACCT Brooklyn (such as Home Services, Community Organizing, Economic Development, and Affordable Housing) is responsible for the data about their clients and the issues they deal with. However, when these different departments start openly sharing and distributing data and organizing information in an easy-to-access way, we can identify buildings, neighborhoods, and census tracts that are particularly prone to landlord abuse and 311 complaints – the same way landlords collect and share information to illegally discriminate against clients. Additionally, we can start to recognize and take action against landlords who overcharge tenants and neglect repairs in an attempt to empty their buildings to raise rents or sell their property.
“If you work in housing justice, or if you live in a neighborhood that is gentrifying, having a culture around sharing information is critical,” Alessandro said. “Did you call 311 about that leak that never got fixed? Ask your neighbors if they did, too. Call up the tenant organizing department and ask them what you can do.”
IMPACCT Brooklyn can also determine if these neighborhoods will benefit from other programs we offer that they might not know about. By cross-referencing our programs with available tenant data, we can connect tenants with the services that will best impact their lives and strategically map out areas where our work will make the most difference.
“In the same way, when you come to see our free legal clinic or our free financial literacy workshops, we need to figure out if there’s anything else that we can do to better fight for you,” Alessandro added. “Everything is connected, and this will help us, as an organization, put on a united front and make better decisions regarding our work, rather than treating each program as if they’re in a vacuum.”
He finished his presentation by emphasizing the first point of IMPACCT Brooklyn’s mission statement.
“Housing is a human right—organize!”
Having housing trouble? IMPACCT Brooklyn can help with our Affordable Housing resource fairs, free tenant organizing services, Personal Finance workshops, and First Time Homebuyer’s seminars! To learn more about what program is best for your situation, email info@impacctbk.org, or call (718) – 522 – 2613.
