Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
What happens when a city stops clearing homeless encampments—and doubles down on the idea that housing alone can end homelessness?
Judge Glock, Adam Lehodey, and Rafael Mangual unpack New York City’s most contentious housing and homelessness policies. They dig into the consequences of not addressing street encampments, the complexities of the city’s right-to-shelter mandate, and why the “just build housing” narrative falls short.
The conversation also examines the proposed Community Opportunity Purchase Act, a law that would give nonprofits first dibs on buying residential properties—raising tough questions about nonprofit capacity, management failures, and unintended consequences for the city’s housing market.
The episode wraps with a forward-looking discussion on what realistic, effective housing policy could look like—and a lighter exchange on the hosts’ personal holiday traditions.
Get the best of City Journal, delivered weekly:
city-journal.org/email-alerts
Judge Glock: https://x.com/judgeglock
Adam Lehodey: https://x.com/adamlehodey
Rafael Mangual: https://x.com/Rafa_Mangual
00:00 Introduction and Context of Public Policy Grievances
01:35 The Controversy of Homeless Encampment Clearances
05:27 Understanding the Right to Shelter in New York
09:52 The Misconception of Housing as a Solution
13:16 The Dangers of Allowing Homelessness to Persist
17:24 The Flaws in Current Shelter Systems
20:20 The Community Opportunity Purchase Act Explained
25:53 The Role of Nonprofits in Housing Management
30:48 Tenant Associations and Their Impact
34:48 Historical Context of Housing Management Failures
36:09 Optimism for Future Housing Solutions
What happens when a city stops clearing homeless encampments—and doubles down on the idea that housing alone can end homelessness?
Judge Glock, Adam Lehodey, and Rafael Mangual unpack New York City’s most contentious housing and homelessness policies. They dig into the consequences of not addressing street encampments, the complexities of the city’s right-to-shelter mandate, and why the “just build housing” narrative falls short.
The conversation also examines the proposed Community Opportunity Purchase Act, a law that would give nonprofits first dibs on buying residential properties—raising tough questions about nonprofit capacity, management failures, and unintended consequences for the city’s housing market.
The episode wraps with a forward-looking discussion on what realistic, effective housing policy could look like—and a lighter exchange on the hosts’ personal holiday traditions.
Get the best of City Journal, delivered weekly:
city-journal.org/email-alerts
Judge Glock: https://x.com/judgeglock
Adam Lehodey: https://x.com/adamlehodey
Rafael Mangual: https://x.com/Rafa_Mangual
00:00 Introduction and Context of Public Policy Grievances
01:35 The Controversy of Homeless Encampment Clearances
05:27 Understanding the Right to Shelter in New York
09:52 The Misconception of Housing as a Solution
13:16 The Dangers of Allowing Homelessness to Persist
17:24 The Flaws in Current Shelter Systems
20:20 The Community Opportunity Purchase Act Explained
25:53 The Role of Nonprofits in Housing Management
30:48 Tenant Associations and Their Impact
34:48 Historical Context of Housing Management Failures
36:09 Optimism for Future Housing Solutions
