HomeLab NYC

Bringing together New Yorkers to explore and share stories about home — how they are created, kept, and lost.

HomeLab is an interdisciplinary initiative that unites storytellers, artists, researchers, educators, students, and citizens in a collective exploration of the concept of "home" — how homes are created, kept, and lost within the complex landscape of New York City. Set against the backdrop of the city's long-running housing crisis, HomeLab aims to humanize these experiences through rich narratives and community-centered research, elevating the stories of those most affected.

This project encompasses a range of storytelling mediums — both physical and digital — including written narratives, live performances, and visual presentations, all centered on the lives of New Yorkers. By elevating the voices of impacted communities and embracing innovative methods in engagement, storytelling and education, HomeLab seeks to capture and preserve the stories of our homes.

With a strong emphasis on collaboration, HomeLab supports community and student storytellers, fosters interdisciplinary experiences and teaches collective storytelling and research techniques.

In 2024, Incite began a partnership with HomeLab. Over the next two years, Incite will contribute administrative and strategic resources toward supporting HomeLab’s daily operations and strategic expansion.

Get in touch

If you have a home or housing-related project or idea, or if you're interested in helping to build this project, please contact us at homelab@columbia.edu. Accepted projects and partnerships may receive financial support.

To stay up-to-date with HomeLab news, events and opportunities, sign up for our mailing list.

In the news

Chinese Tenants Are Stranded at NYC Housing Court Without Language Support

For litigants who don’t speak English in the city’s Housing Court, the lack of language support in court means they may suffer financial loss, emotional stress and, sometimes, the avoidable loss of their homes.

Leadership

Terry Parris Jr.

Co-editor

Contact: tp2834@columbia.edu

Terry Parris Jr. is an engagement journalist with more than 15 years of experience working with newsrooms, libraries, universities, community groups and the public on ambitious storytelling projects. He’s dedicated to cultivating community-centered storytelling and fostering meaningful engagement with the subjects and communities he works in. He currently serves as Public Square Editor for Headway, an initiative by The New York Times.

Before joining Headway, Terry was the Engagement Director at THE CITY where he launched several of its most impactful — and award winning — community-driven projects including The Open Newsroom, Civic Newsroom and MISSING THEM. Terry served as a deputy editor at ProPublica, where he was part of the team that was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. He currently teaches at Queens College (City University of New York) and advises students at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Reporting at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Additionally, Terry is pursuing a master's degree in Library and Information Science at the Pratt Institute, focusing on public engagement and programming.

Derek Kravitz

Co-Editor

Contact: d.kravitz@columbia.edu

Derek Kravitz is an investigative and data journalist who has worked with newsrooms and academic programs across the country. Before working on projects at Columbia, he served as the investigations and data editor at MuckRock, overseeing the nonprofit organization's journalism with local newsroom partners.

Derek has also worked on grant-funded projects through the Brown Institute for Media Innovation’s “Magic Grant” program, including the Documenting COVID-19 project and the MISSING THEM with THE CITY newsroom, and he previously served as the research director at ProPublica and a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and The Washington Post. Projects he edited or reported have won prizes from the George Polk Awards, the Online News Association, Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT, among others. Derek has also been a part of three teams that have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

Advisory board