They Say Gentrify , We Say Occupy! -The Homeless fight back in NYC

Picture the Homeless , an organization which aims to empower the homeless through grassroots organizing and leadership development to create systemic change in New York City, recently took over several vacant buildings with the slogan "they say gentrify, we say occupy." Its part of their housing organizing campaign to address the shortage of housing and skyrocketing rents in New York City.
According to their website:

HOUSING: It's not a homeless crisis - it's a housing crisis! The city's best hope for reducing and preventing homelessness is a commitment to addressing the skyrocketing rents and general housing shortage that plagues New York and drives New Yorkers by the thousands into homelessness. Yet at the same time as the homeless population continues to escalate, landlords and the city continue to keep buildings empty! In fact, the total volume of potential apartments in vacant buildings and lots IN MANHATTAN ALONE exceeds the number of homeless households in shelter and on the street CITYWIDE! 24,000 potential apartments can be developed out of all those properties going to waste. On top of those vacancies, NYCHA developments have significant numbers of vacant units, and many luxury condos constructed in low-income neighborhoods during the housing boom stand at 30% occupancy!

Homeless people are fighting back. We have identified the policy and program changes that would need to be enacted to really create housing, on a large scale, for the poorest New Yorkers—while at the same time challenging underlying causes of the housing crisis, developing communities, and building jobs. We are ready to employ direct action to make these changes happen BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Check out the video and the blog, their actions are quite inspirational.