50 for 50: Meet Irwin Nesoff

“I came to the Community House in September 1979 as part of my second-year field placement for social work school. One of our assignments was to write a funding proposal. I submitted a proposal for a Neighborhood Stabilization Project—and it got funded! After I graduated, I was hired to run the program, which had two main components: tenant organizing and working with local businesses.

At the time, co-op conversions were taking off, especially in Queens. Landlords were turning rental buildings into co-ops and pushing out folks who couldn’t—or didn’t want to—buy in. It was a real threat to affordable housing and it fueled a wave of displacement and gentrification.

We organized tenant associations in several of the garden apartment complexes near our community center. Unfortunately, we weren’t successful in stopping the conversions, but we provided crucial support—helping tenants resolve issues, clear housing violations, and develop strong tenant groups.

After that we also helped form a borough coalition called QLOUT (Queens League of United Tenants) and joined forces with city and statewide organizations to advocate for changes in housing laws. We also helped establish a Housing Court Task Force. At the time, tenants were extremely vulnerable—many landlords had lawyers on retainer, while most tenants were unrepresented and unprepared. We set up information tables in housing court, met with judges, and educated tenants about their rights so they could better advocate for themselves.

That’s how the Community House’s housing program got started. I was later promoted to Associate Executive Director and, after three more years, left to become the Executive Director of Sunnyside Community Services. I'm proud to know the housing support work I did at the Community House continues and is still going strong.”

— Irwin Nesoff