Buffalo, NY

Buffalo, NY is home to a growing coalition of tenants, legal aid, and health professionals who have united in campaigns connecting the health and safety of residents to their housing options. These cross-issue coalitions are growing their local and regional organizing efforts, creating connections for Buffalo residents to realize their power in shaping policy for their homes, health and livelihood.

PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing), Heart of the City Neighborhoods, and CoNECT (Community Network for Engagement, Connection and Transformation) are working together to ensure residents can live in healthy housing that is affordable, stable, equitable, and anti-racist.

Their work maintains a central focus on community resiliency and housing, leveraging home as a source for healing—ensuring homes are healthy and safe, both physically and emotionally—and countering the impacts of gentrification and displacement in Black and Brown communities in Buffalo. Their priorities include lead poisoning prevention, renter protections, housing affordability, and addressing homelessness.

The flexibility of Convergence resources has allowed these grassroots partners to pivot and redirect resources in response to the multiple tragedies that Buffalo’s residents experienced in 2022, beginning with the horrific, racist massacre at Tops Supermarket on May 14, followed by two devastating blizzards during the winter months. Their efforts focused on mutual aid, weatherization and home repairs, and advocacy efforts to ensure the emergency funds being provided by the Governor were distributed to those most in need. They also continue to provide critical community healing efforts.