In New York City’s schools, nearly one in seven students were homeless at some point in the last school year.

Urgent issues — like the city’s worsening housing crisis and the mounting threats from the Trump administration — have gotten far less attention than they deserve in the New York mayoral race. How to deal with the Trump administration’s aggression, like the masked federal agents and armored vehicle in Manhattan this week, is a new and unpredictable problem. But housing is a longstanding issue the city has faced. Addressing the crisis will require every big idea and drop of political capital the next mayor can muster.

It was a relief to see these stark realities reflected in Wednesday’s debate, with the moderators devoting a major segment to specific questions about housing policy in particular.

Instead of bold housing policies, though, voters who saw the debate watched all three candidates snipe at one another over the issue. “This man never even proposed a bill on housing or on education,” Andrew Cuomo said of Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman.

“If you want a candidate for mayor who tells you everything that he cannot do, then Andrew Cuomo should be your choice,” Mr. Mamdani said of Mr. Cuomo, the former governor, who argued that Mr. Mamdani wouldn’t have the power to freeze the rent for stabilized tenants as mayor. A board decides the matter, but the mayor appoints its members.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.