Harvey Epstein: Biography
Early Life and Family Background
Harvey David Epstein was born on February 5, 1967, in Wantagh, New York, a suburban community on Long Island adjacent to Levittown . He grew up in a Levitt-built home where his mother, Barbara, continued to reside as of 2025 . Epstein's upbringing in a middle-class Long Island setting would later inform his advocacy for working families and affordable housing in New York City.
Education
Epstein earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ithaca College, where he studied history and political science, completing his undergraduate education in 1989 . He went on to earn his Juris Doctor from the City University of New York School of Law in 1994 . CUNY Law School's mission-driven focus on public interest law aligned with Epstein's emerging commitment to tenant rights and community development.
Legal Career
Prior to entering elected office, Epstein built a decades-long career in public interest law and community advocacy. Before attending law school, he ran a homeless shelter in Hempstead, New York, and worked in the South Bronx for a foster care agency . After graduating from CUNY Law School, he worked at Queens Legal Services, followed by a position as a staff attorney at the Harlem Community Law Offices of the Legal Aid Society 7. At Legal Aid, he represented groups of tenants in affirmative litigation against landlords and assisted tenants in taking over buildings through Article 7A administrators, helping create thousands of low-income cooperative apartments .
Epstein subsequently served as Associate Director and Managing Attorney for Housing Conservation Coordinators, a community-based nonprofit in Hell's Kitchen dedicated to preserving decent affordable housing 7. In 2007, he joined the Urban Justice Center as Director of its Community Development Project, which supported dozens of community-based organizations through litigation, research, and technical assistance in pursuit of social justice 7. He held this role until his election to the State Assembly in 2018.
Community Involvement
Epstein served on Manhattan Community Board 3 for 14 years, including terms as chair of the Land Use Committee and as board chair from 2002 to 2004 . During his tenure on the board, he worked to preserve and create affordable housing units for families and seniors in the Lower East Side and East Village. As a public school parent, he served as PTA president at the Neighborhood School, where his children attended, and as president of the District 1 Presidents' Council . He was also Co-President of the Coalition for a District Alternative, known as CoDA, an independent political organization that mobilized residents and activists in the neighborhood .
Personal Life
Epstein and his wife, Anita, moved to the East Village in the early 1990s after he graduated from law school . The couple purchased into a co-op building and raised their children in the neighborhood, sending them to the local public school . Epstein has described the Lower East Side as the center of his family's life for three decades . He was a member of the National Lawyers Guild, a progressive legal organization, throughout his career . In early 2026, Epstein led the formation of the New York City Council's Animal Welfare Caucus, which he chairs, advocating for humane treatment of animals and lower costs of pet ownership in the city .