Lobbying has become synonymous with big money, cigar smoke-filled, male-only backroom deals. A few days ago, hundreds of diverse New Yorkers packed into cramped buses from the farthest reaches of New York State— in below-freezing Albany— to advocate for equitable and accessible affordable housing and to address the homelessness crisis. Housing is personal and it’s an issue that impacts everyone. Activists are determined to not allow systematic discrimination and a pay-to-play culture to leave our most vulnerable citizens out on the streets.
The bus trip was paid for by Housing Justice for All – a coalition of affordable housing groups that successfully lobbied the Democrat-controlled legislature to approve last year’s reforms. Groups including New York Communities for Change, ACT UP, Tenants PAC, Make The Road NY, activists and elected officials gathered on the “Million Dollar Staircase” calling for increased funding for public housing; homes for the homeless; and a good cause eviction measures in the 2020 budget. Tenants’ rights groups and progressive leaders find themselves playing both offense and defense: having to protect last year’s gains, while pushing for critical new legislation to help keep vulnerable New Yorkers in their homes.
Tenants have a lot at stake, according to a recent Daily News article, evictions in New York City “…have plummeted nearly 20% in the six months since Albany lawmakers enacted sweeping new tenant protection laws. The drop revealed in city data compiled over the past two years, shows evictions in the last half of 2019 stood at 8,951, down from 10,958 over the same period in 2018.” Any watering down of the new rent laws would immediately reverse these trends.
The City’s homelessness crisis continues to grow. Leaders in City Hall and Albany cannot continue to ignore or fail to enact much-needed housing reform or pass the issue on to other cities. Last week Jersey City joined Newark in a lawsuit over New York City’s homeless relocation program – which ships homeless New Yorkers off to New Jersey so that it’s no longer our problem. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are more than 92,000 homeless people in New York — a 50% increase since 2009.
Two bills are currently being considered that would dramatically address some of the issues advocates are lobbying against. Senate Bill S2892A, sponsored by Brooklyn State Senator Julia Salazar would prohibit the eviction of tenants without good cause, such as failing to pay rent, violating a “substantial obligation of the tenancy,” using the rental for an illegal purpose or committing a nuisance. The bill would protect tenants who are pushed out by landlords who increase rental prices and/or do not offer lease renewals because they want to increase rents. S.2375/A.1620, sponsored by Senator Liz Krueger, and Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi would create the Home Stability Support program – a new statewide rent supplement for New Yorkers eligible for public assistance and facing eviction, homelessness or loss of housing because of domestic violence. In New York City, the annual cost of providing shelter for a family with children is $38,460. The cost of HSS for the same family would be $11,224, a net savings to the city of $27,236 per household per year. According to a Senate press release, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer estimates the bill could reduce shelter population in the city by 80% among families with children.
The common message from tenants (and from the state legislators) who spoke to the crowd was that: although advocates were victorious last year with the passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, homelessness and inaccessibility are crippling the people of our state. We must act now!
Political will, resources and courage are needed to ensure that housing doesn’t continue to be a privilege but a guaranteed right for our people. Each of us needs to organize, protest, lobby and speak-up as elected leaders from impacted communities. If leaders aren’t prioritizing housing and the plight of the homeless, it won’t be because they are not hearing from us. We must all find ways to support the lobbying efforts of our neighbors in the fight for housing justice for all. Lobbying in this manner is vitally important.
Josue Pierre is a Democratic State Committeeman and candidate for the New York City Council. He most recently worked to finance affordable housing and in community affairs as Brooklyn Borough Director at the Office of the New York City Comptroller.
Wilfredo Florentino is a life-long Community Advocate. He has served as the Transportation Committee Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 5 since 2014. He lives in East New York, Brooklyn with his husband, daughter and dog.
