UPPER WEST SIDE — The Upper West Side is known more for record-breaking real estate sales than foreclosures, but representatives of the anti-foreclosure movement Occupy Our Homes will be in the neighborhood on Monday night.
Community Board 7's Housing Committee will host a panel discussion about Occupy Our Homes with two representatives from New York Communities for Change, a social justice organization that has led Occupy Our Homes demonstrations in New York.
Occupy Our Homes, which grew out of Occupy Wall Street, takes aim at the foreclosure crisis. In December activists led a national day of action to take over vacant foreclosed homes.
The discussion will be led by Greg Basta, deputy director of New York Communities for Change, and Olivia Leirer, the organization's communications director. New York Communities for Change has led demonstrations in East New York and Queens where member have "reclaimed" vacant homes "for the community."
While the Upper West Side isn't blighted with vacant, foreclosed homes, the issue is still relevant to the neighborhood, said Community Board 7 Housing Committee co-chair Nick Prigo.
"We on the housing committee spend pretty much all of our time thinking about how to preserve affordable housing on the Upper West Side," Prigo said. "Making sure people don’t get foreclosed on is an important way of keeping Upper West Siders in their homes and preserving diversity."
Community Board 7's Housing Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Board 7 office on the second floor of 250 W. 87th Street.
