IMPACCT BK Statement on COPA: "A Real Tool For Nonprofits to Help Solve the Housing Crisis"

BROOKLYN, NY (10/22/2026) (readMedia)-- Today, the New York City Council passed the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), legislation designed to give qualified nonprofits the first opportunity to purchase and rehabilitate buildings while keeping rents low.

Jamal Clayton Robinson, Executive Director of IMPACCT Brooklyn issued the following statement in response:

"IMPACCT Brooklyn commends the City Council for passing the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act. At a moment when nearly a third of Brooklynites are spending half their income on rent and citywide rental vacancy rates remain stagnant, this legislation is a welcome and necessary step. All too often, mission-driven nonprofits are shut out of the market, outbid by speculators before we can act. COPA changes that by giving experienced nonprofits a real chance to help curb the housing crisis. IMPACCT is ready to put COPA to work and looks forward to keeping Central Brooklyn families rooted in their communities."

The data underscores why tools like COPA are urgent. Roughly 30% of Brooklyn renters are severely rent burdened, and the borough's housing vacancy rate sits at just 1.27%, according to the Brooklyn Borough President's office. Residents across Central Brooklyn also remain at high risk of displacement, according to city data.

Last month, IMPACCT Brooklyn acquired a four-building affordable housing development in Bedford-Stuyvesant, home to 57 families whose previous landlord attempted to sell the buildings illegally. The acquisition was made possible through support from Attorney General Letitia James, NYS Homes and Community Renewal, and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. IMPACCT will now manage, renovate, and preserve the buildings, keeping the apartments affordable for the next 30 years minimum.

About IMPACCT Brooklyn: IMPACCT Brooklyn is a nonprofit community development corporation (CDC) that has been rooted in Brooklyn for over 60 years. Our mission is to Build, Restore and Preserve quality housing and educational services to keep our residents rooted in the areas of Brooklyn we advocate for: Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Prospect Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Since its founding in 1964, IMPACCT Brooklyn has developed and preserved more than 2,000 units of affordable housing for residents throughout Central Brooklyn.

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