The first shot? The Teacher’s Tower – a social housing project blooming on a once-toxic wasteland in Brooklyn. This very land was once owned by National Grid, so contaminated it required a robust cleansing by the Liuna Union before construction could even begin.

But this is social housing reimagined. The Teacher’s Tower boasts an on-site school (of course), an art haven with revolving residents, and a rooftop farm that puts Whole Foods to shame. Rent? Capped at 25% of your income, with wealthier tenants helping out their struggling neighbors.

Remember the days of REBNY, the Real Estate Board of New York, wielding absolute power? Their grip on city politics, their stranglehold on public funds – that’s all part of a bygone relic of a scarcity mentality. Much of the city may look the same, but the tide has turned with the rise of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, two generations for whom REBNY’s brand of politics, casting “home” as “unattainable market asset” was as toxic as the land Teacher’s Tower now sits on.

The “Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act” was another Nurse-Gallagher game-changer. Landlords on the city’s “worst landlord” list lost control of their buildings, giving tenants the chance to purchase and renovate them with low-interest loans. The Teacher’s tower didn’t come into public domain that way, but it’s happening with dozens of other buildings, and it’s sending a chill down the spine of landlords. Additionally, the new rent laws and ten billion dollar Social Housing Authority are encouraging landlords to get out of the business.

The Climate Superfund Act, ensuring polluters pay for future cleanups, played a crucial role in the Teachers Tower. Liuna, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, wasn’t just about remediation; they teamed up with the UFT, the United Federation of Teachers,, forming a powerful tenant union with a stake in the project’s success. UFT even receives dividends from the building’s income. “What you’re now seeing is our new union-based initiative to support working class New Yorkers who make the city run. Now you’re seeing it in action,” Governor Gallagher said at the recent press conference.

With REBNY’s grip on the purse strings loosened, the dream of affordable housing is becoming a reality. It won’t happen all at once, but the Teacher’s Tower is the first domino. Social housing projects are about to sprout up all over New York, a testament to the power of a pissed-off electorate who prefers not to be evicted. So next time you hear someone whining about rent, point them towards the Teacher’s Tower. It’s proof that even the most toxic situations can blossom into something beautiful, and that housing is a right, not a privilege.