Join us on December 15, 2026 for our 30th anniversary celebration! Tickets are limited — purchase yours today.
Press Releases
-
City Council Passes the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), Giving Community Groups a New Tool to Stabilize and Preserve Affordable Housing
Amid a deepening housing crisis, the New York City Council today passed the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (Intro 905-A), or COPA—a landmark piece of legislation designed to stabilize and expand the supply of permanently affordable, community-controlled homes.
-
STATEMENT: National Coalition of Civil Rights, Community Groups from Payday Loan-Free States Celebrates Enova Withdrawal, Calls on Regulators to Drop Oppfi Bank Bid
The Stop Taking Our Pay Coalition, a broad based alliance of civil rights organizations, community groups, community development credit unions, and faith leaders from the 21 states that ban payday lending, celebrates the announcement that predatory payday lender Enova International has withdrawn its bid to become a national bank, following strong opposition from coalition members…
-
Tenants, Community Groups, Electeds Rally At City Hall for the Community Opportunity To Purchase Act (COPA) As Council Holds Key Hearing
More than 150 tenants, community groups and elected officials rallied on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday morning, calling on the City Council to pass the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA (Intro 905), sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse. The action preceded a key City Council hearing on the bill, at which…
-
Tenants & Housing Groups Pitch “COPA Cabana” at City Hall, Call for Passage of Community Opportunity to Purchase Act
On Thursday, tenants and housing groups gathered outside City Hall to urge Speaker Julie Menin and the New York City Council to pass the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA). Advocates transformed the plaza into a beach-themed “COPA Cabana,” serving drinks, playing music, and sharing information about how COPA would help preserve affordable housing, prevent…
-
“Loan Shark” Crashes DailyPay’s New York City Publicity Stunt to Expose True Cost of “Earned Wage Access” Payday Loan Apps
DailyPay’s “DailyPay Diner” publicity stunt got an unexpected visitor Thursday when a costumed “loan shark” crashed the event, carrying a sign advertising “TODAY’S MENU: WORKERS’ WAGES” and confronting the company with damning allegations about its abusive tactics.
-
National Coalition Launches to Confront Big Tech-Backed Payday Lending Disguised as “Earned Wage Access,” as Congressional Republicans Advance Industry Giveaway
Today, two dozen community, labor, and faith-based organizations, along with community development credit unions, from 21 states where payday lending is categorically illegal announced the launch of the Stop Taking Our Pay (STOP) Coalition to confront so-called “earned wage access” (EWA) payday loans. The coalition is taking aim at the rapidly expanding EWA industry, which…
-
Nearly 30 New York Credit Unions Urge Albany to Pass the Stop Taking Our Pay (STOP) Act, To Crack Down on Racial Wealth Extraction and Exploitation of Low-Wage Workers
On Wednesday, 29 credit unions from across New York State delivered a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, State Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Luis R. Sepúlveda and State Assembly Banks Chair Clyde Vanel, urging lawmakers to crack down on predatory payday loan apps by passing the Stop…
-
COPA Reaches Majority Support in City Council Just One Week After Reintroduction
On Thursday, the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) secured majority support in the New York City Council only one week after its reintroduction, reaching 26 sponsors—enough support to pass the legislation.
-
Council Member Nurse, Tenants, and Community Groups Announce Reintroduction of COPA with Rally at City Hall
Tenants, affordable housing organizations, and elected officials gathered at City Hall on Thursday with NYC Council Member Sandy Nurse to announce the reintroduction of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), landmark legislation aimed at combating displacement, preserving affordable housing, and expanding community ownership amid New York City’s deepening housing crisis.
-
$650 Million and Counting: New Online Tool Tracks Massive Fee Drain from New Yorkers’ Paychecks by Illegal Cash Advance Apps
New Economy Project today released a new interactive tool revealing the massive and growing stream of fees that so-called “earned wage access” (EWA) apps are extracting from New Yorkers’ paychecks—exacerbating the state’s affordability crisis and deepening racial wealth inequality.