Anticipating a massive wave of evictions when the federal and state bans are lifted in January, housing activists in the Bronx are taking action. They’re pushing to extend the eviction ban until the pandemic is over, organizing tenants, and seeking rent relief. Housing activism in the Bronx has a deep history dating back to the Great Depression, when neighbors banded together to resist landlord’s efforts to displace them. That struggle helped highlight issues and inform policies around affordable housing that continue to this day.

This video is a collaboration between Retro Report and THE CITY, and part of the reporting project Hitting Home, that examines the process and impact of evictions, providing historical context for the nation’s persistent lack of affordable, safe housing.

Retro Report is a nonprofit news organization exploring the history and context behind today’s headlines. It has produced more than 200 short documentaries and video series and partnered with The New York Times, The New Yorker, PBS, NBC, Politico, The Guardian, Univision, Quartz and others.

Co-published with Retro Report and THE CITY.