Dear Friends and Family of Picture the Homeless,

After years of hard work on the issue of vacant property, our members are really proud and excited to share that the sponsors of our Housing Not Warehousing Act have committed to pass these City Council bills by the end of the year! And on top of that, the Mayor voiced his support for the issue at a recent town hall meeting! [click for video]. And the City’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development just announced a move to count “zombie properties,” vacant buildings neglected by their owners.

All of this is huge, but it doesn’t mean we can relax. Priorities shift fast in New York City politics, and the bills that get passed are the ones people are pushing for.

To keep the spotlight on, we’re starting with two Twitter rallies – November 9th and November 16th.

Can you help us signal-boost the issue and the legislation THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH, at 11AM? Tweet as many times as you’re able, using either our sample tweets or your own awesome perspectives.

Sample tweets and graphics and other materials are below.

See you on Twitter on Thursday!! And thanks – your support means so much to us.

HOUSING NOT WAREHOUSING TWITTER RALLY – MEDIA KIT

TWEET AT: @BilldeBlasio @NYCMayor @NYCHousing @MTorresSpringer

AND BILL SPONSORS: @TishJames @JumaaneWilliams @ydanis

WITH THESE HASHTAGS: #HousingNotWarehousing #NoVacancy #housing #PassHNWAct

AND THESE SAMPLE TWEETS:

Thank you @TishJames, @ydanis & @JumaaneWilliams for committing to pass the #HousingNotWarehousing Act this year!!

“We do not want to see buildings warehoused at all” [email protected]

Thank u! now help pass #HousingNotWarehousing! https://youtu.be/QZ2iwJas62k

Thanks @BilldeBlasio @NYCHousing @MTorresSpringer for helping fight vacant property. #HousingNotWarehousing Act  is how we win.

Glad @BilldeBlasio’s @NYCHousing will count some vacant property! Now let’s #PassHNWAct to count ALL of them: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/Zombie-Homes-Vacant-Properties-New-York-City-Mortgage-Investigation-454959073.html

“Zombie property” registry a great start, @BilldeBlasio @NYCHousing! But let’s count ALL of them. #HousingNotWarehousing #PassHNWAct

We don’t know how much vacant property is in NYC. The #HousingNotWarehousing Act would change all that.  https://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/articles/pa-james-visits-vacant-property-build-support-housing-not-warehousing-act

Vacancy hurts everyone. That’s why NYC needs the #HousingNotWarehousingAct <Insert Vacancy Hurts Everyone graphic>

Why does @ydanis support the #HousingNotWarehousing Act? <Insert Ydanis Rodriguez Quote graphic>

Why does @JumaaneWilliams support the #HousingNotWarehousing Act? <Insert Jumaane Williams Quote graphic>

Why does @TishJames support the #HousingNotWarehousing Act? <Insert Letitia James Quote graphic>

New York City needs HOUSING, not warehousing. Pass the #HousingNotWarehousing Act

With 60k+ in shelter, every vacant building/lot counts. Help us count them. Pass #HousingNotWarehousing Act today.

Click on the following images to download hi-res versions, for use in the Twitter rally!