This year has proven one of the most turbulent for many tenants living in 3333 Broadway, a 35-story apartment complex located between 134th and 135th streets. Since the building's landlord opted out of the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program in May 2005, rents have risen, and, at any given time, dozens of doors in the building now feature eviction notices. Many of the eviction proceedings have fallen on the building's poorer black and Latino tenants.

In their place, the building and community at large have seen a recent influx of white single professionals and students from nearby colleges, including Columbia, who can afford to pay market price out of their own pockets. Many two-bedroom apartments in the building now rent for $1,780 per month.

Created in 1955, the state's Mitchell-Lama program provides low-interest mortgage loans and property tax exemptions to landlords who agree to provide low-income residents with affordable housing at below-market-rate rents. Any owner can withdraw from the program after 20 years upon paying off the mortgage-a condition landlord Jerome Belson decided to make good on.

As a result, tensions have risen. While the building's management and other tenants have accused some evicted tenants of tearing the carpets and smashing the windows of their old apartments, some of the evicted have accused city marshals of taking away their belongings without their knowledge.

The tenants have attempted to form a collective resistance to the rising rent, but, as of yet, none have been effective. Many have cited the frequent comings and goings of tenants-especially as many are evicted and given that some are students who rent on a semesterly basis-as the reason for a fragmented community. Many of the tenants also speak only Spanish, creating a language barrier that complicates organization.

Resistance has also been hampered by a lack of clear leadership. At one point last year, at least two people claimed sole presidency of the building's tenants' association.

The story of 3333 Broadway is not unique. The difficulty of obtaining affordable housing is an issue endemic to the city.

According to a study released in mid-April by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, of the 21 percent of New York property management companies that have apartments within Section 8 rent limits, less than half will accept these vouchers. Section 8 vouchers allow low-income individuals and families to receive city-subsidized housing.

For many 3333 tenants, obtaining a Section 8 voucher is now their only hope for staying in the building. On Jan. 29, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the availability of 22,000 new vouchers over the next two years and the reopening of the waiting list for those vouchers, the first time the list has been opened up in 12 years.