ABOUT THE WEBSITE
However, these issues are not isolated to Chicago, and similar or more harsh policies are the norm within the criminal legal system. Issues of increased incarceration and homelessness are rampant in New York among people convicted of sex offenses. So much so that Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor wrote a legal opinion stating “New York’s policy requires indefinite incarceration for some indigent people judged to be sex offenders”. As a result of these policies, countless New Yorkers have spent months in prison past their release dates. Those who are released often find themselves battling homelessness, with little to no guidance on how to finding suitable and sustainable housing.
Inspired by the work of abolitionists, critical geographers, and the Chicago 400, Austin Lukondi conducted research on the extent of housing banishment in New York City for his Master’s degree. The results were startling—showing that residency in New York City would be nearly impossible given the restrictions. Following graduation, housingbanishment.nyc was created to publish the findings from this research project, provide information to the public, and act as a resource on the issue of housing banishment in New York City.
This site will be updated periodically to revise, incorporate, and clarify issues of housing banishment. Feedback is always welcome!
Austin Lukondi
creator of housingbanishment.nyc
Austin Lukondi (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based researcher and PhD student in American Studies at New York University. His research interests include spatial analyses of social issues, housing banishment / homelessness, and examining state-sanctioned carceral policies and practices through a critical lens.
Austin currently works at a non-profit based in New York City, researching alternatives to prosecution and harm reduction programs. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and Education from Colorado College and an M.S. in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY).
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