Special Remarks
Antonio Reynoso
Brooklyn Borough President
Antonio Reynoso is Brooklyn’s 20th Borough President. The son of two Dominican immigrants, Antonio was born and raised in Los Sures, Williamsburg, just three blocks down from where he lives today with his wife and two sons. He grew up in Section 8 housing, relying on food stamps for family meals and scholarships for education opportunities. He experienced firsthand how a little help can go a long way for a young family trying their hardest to put down roots and have a fair shot at the life they want.
In 2021, Antonio became the youngest Borough President elected to a four-year term, the first Latino to hold the office in the borough, and the first Dominican to be elected as a Borough President in NYC. Since then, he’s launched a history-making maternal health agenda and championed planning for a healthy, housed Brooklyn.
Fifth Avenue Committee
Envisions an equitable New York City where all people can live in stable and thriving communities that are inclusive, healthy and sustainable.
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2025 Honorees
Habitat for Humanity NYC and Westchester County and Interboro Community Land Trust
Habitat for Humanity and Interboro Community Land Trust are working together to create affordable opportunities for homeownership across New York City for lower income New Yorkers. Through the innovative Community Land Trust (CLT) model, they are creating a pathway to financial stability for families while preserving economic and racial diversity in spite of gentrification. With the Habitat Net Zero project, Habitat for Humanity will transform 13 vacant, dilapidated lots into properties with 16 safe, healthy, and affordable homes. The Net Zero collaboration between Interboro CLT and Habitat for Humanity NYC and Westchester County will help ensure that future generations of first-time home buyers and their communities benefit from the stability, long-term affordability, and equity building power of a home.
Power Award
FAC’s Kensington Women’s ESOL + Digital Literacy Class
Last year, FAC’s Kensington Women’s ESOL + Digital Literacy Class got involved with NYC’s annual participatory budgeting process and helped increase engagement from their community. The students in the class, co-designed with Bangladeshi residents, had expressed an interest in being more engaged in the broader community so FAC staff started weaving participatory budgeting into the curriculum. Then the students began tabling at events, schools, and libraries, collecting ballots and delivering them to their councilmember’s office. Their work resulted in such notably high participation from their community that the class earned a citation from CM Hanif, who invited them to develop ideas to become part of an upcoming ballot.
Transform Award
Film Producers Ellen Martinez, Steph Ching, & Nicole Tsien
Ellen Martinez, Steph Ching, and Nicole Tsien are producers of the documentary film “Slumlord Millionaire.” The film exposes housing injustice in NYC, telling the story of the battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the city, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, an overwhelmed housing court system, and the troubling pattern of properties being seized for luxury developments, highlighting grassroots activism in the fight against gentrification. One of the families featured in the film, the Bravos, are tenant leaders with FAC And NHN and Fabian Bravo is now on staff with NHN, working as a Tenant Organizer. The film had its world premiere at DOC NYC in November 2024 where it won the audience award.