11 Deaths Put Focus on N.Y.C.’s Failure to Make Basement Apartments Safe

Even before a deadly storm, a pilot program was supposed to lead the way toward legalizing tens of thousands of dangerous basement units.

Two years ago, as Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed expansive plans to create more affordable homes in New York City, his administration launched an initiative to tackle one of the city’s thorniest housing problems: transforming illegal basement apartments into safe, livable spaces. To many the move was seen as long overdue and in some cases a matter of life and death. There are tens of thousands of such units, the only places where many low-income New Yorkers and immigrants can afford to live, even if cramped, unregulated conditions put them at risk of floods, fires and many other threats. But after the city promised a program to transform the shadowy world of basement apartments, its initiative has largely foundered. Mr. de Blasio slashed the budget during the pandemic, and only eight homes are participating.