Inside Government is a Q&A series that gives New Yorkers a glimpse inside the role of the elected officials who represent them. This edition of Inside Government with PoliticsNY features New York State Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest. Assembly Member Souffrant Forrest represents the 57th Assembly District in Brooklyn which includes the neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill as well as parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights.

What piece of legislation are you most proud to have passed this legislative session?
 I’m proud to have passed my bill A2698 directing DOH to create an awareness campaign regarding the usage of hormone replacement therapy for treating menopause and perimenopause. Too many people, especially Black, working-class, and immigrant women, go without the care they need simply because they don’t know what’s available or because providers don’t take their symptoms seriously. As a maternal health nurse, I believe every stage of reproductive life deserves real support. Menopause is no exception.

How does your office work to support your constituents in their day-to-day lives?
My office is here first and foremost to serve the people of the 57th District, not just during campaign season, not just when it’s time to vote, but every single day. We support constituents in their day-to-day lives by providing direct services, advocacy, access to resources, and training on organizing in the community to help people navigate the systems that are supposed to work for them but too often don’t.

What is the most prevalent issue facing your constituents and how are you working to resolve it?
The most pressing issue facing our community, by far, is housing. Rents are skyrocketing, evictions are rising, and working-class people are being pushed out of Brooklyn every day. Folks are scared they won’t be able to stay in the communities they built. We need bold action to keep people housed. That means protecting tenants, expanding affordable options, and saying loud and clear: housing is a human right.

What do you hope to accomplish by the end of 2025?
By the end of 2025, I want to see the legislature return to Albany in a special session to pass legislation safeguarding New Yorkers from the actions of the Trump administration. This means protecting our immigrant communities and raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires to insulate us from federal spending cuts. Our communities are vulnerable, and we cannot wait till January.

What is the proudest moment of your political career?
The proudest moment of my political career was the day I was sworn into the Assembly, not just because I won the election, but because of how I got there and the community I brought with me. I was sworn in as a daughter of Haitian immigrants, a lifelong tenant, a mother, and a union nurse. That moment reminds me why I do this work: to make the government serve the people, not the powerful.