WHO:      State Senator Bill Perkins, Assemblyman Keith Wright, Office of Congressman Charles Rangel, Office of Councilman Robert Jackson, Gloria Harding Tenant’s Association, Tenants & Neighbors, Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), West Harlem Group Assistance (WHGA), Local Initiatives Support Corporation-NYC (LISC-NYC) and neighborhood supporters

WHAT:     A press conference and rally to tell landlord Barry Singer and mortgage holder AIMCO to KEEP THE GLORIA HARDING APARTMENTS AFFORDABLE!

WHERE: In front of

WHEN:     Sunday, August 23^rd @ 12:00 noon        

Tenants at Gloria B. Harding Apartments, their supporters and elected officials will hold a press conference and rally this Sunday, August 23^rd at 12 noon in front of

The three-building, 113-unit, project-based Section 8 development was purchased in 2006 by notorious landlord Barry Singer, with a mortgage held by AIMCO.  The existing subsidy in the buildings comes from a project-based contract with HUD and the apartments represent a stable affordable housing resource in fast-gentrifying Harlem.  The HUD contract expires at the end of August and Singer is choosing not to renew it.  If he goes through with the “opt out,” many of the tenants will receive “enhanced” Section 8 vouchers but some may not be eligible.  Additionally, as existing tenants leave the building, their apartments will immediately become market-rate – 113 affordable apartments will be permanently lost.

Tenants, their supporters and elected officials are calling on both Singer and AIMCO to maintain Gloria Harding as affordable housing in Harlem, either by renewing the HUD contract, or selling Gloria Harding to the tenants’ chosen preservation purchaser, the non-profit developer West Harlem Group Assistance (WHGA) for a fair and financially sustainable price.