Dear Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie,
The following signatories colleagues actively representing tens of thousands of tenants across New York State urge you to prioritize “Good Cause” legislation (S3082/A5573) next session, and to work with tenants, homeless New Yorkers, and advocates to ensure speedy passage of this legislation into law.
Despite progress combating the pandemic and returning the state to a sense of normalcy, millions of New Yorkers have lost their jobs, and many who were already struggling to survive remain at their absolute breaking point.
Roughly 1.6 million unregulated households across New York State continue to be in desperate need of additional protections to ensure that the devastating social and economic consequences of the pandemic are not allowed to turn a public health crisis into an eviction and homelessness crisis. We must act now to prevent this inequity from compounding once COVID-19 completely subsides.
“Good Cause” legislation would prohibit the eviction of residential tenants or the non-renewal of residential leases without legitimate reason, and would require landlords to have “just cause” to evict a tenant in an unregulated housing unit. Since the bill was introduced in 2019, tens of thousands of people across the state have faced eviction. Many of those people would have remained in their homes had their unregulated apartments received the minimal protections “Good Cause” would provide.
The “Good Cause” housing movement is spreading across the nation, with California, Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, and other major cities and states having already given unregulated tenants critical protections to remain in their homes. Just days ago, Hudson, NY passed “Good Cause” Eviction legislation for renters, becoming the second municipality in the state – after Albany – to do so. The city of Kingston, NY has also introduced the law, and dozens of other localities are considering similar action.
“Good Cause” is budget neutral and has received broad public support. In a 2020 poll, nearly 80% of New Yorkers support passing Good Cause legislation, and a majority of Democratic state senators and assembly members have signed on to the bill.
This is the time for bold moves and legislation that will overhaul antiquated housing policy that hurts vulnerable families and one that institutes universal protections that will keep renters safe.
If nothing is done, and after the eviction moratorium eventually expires, it is only a matter of months before New York grapples with an unprecedented eviction crisis.
Amid this ongoing and unprecedented public health crisis, keeping New Yorkers in their homes is vital to lessening the devastation caused by COVID-19. We urge you to protect tenants from eviction by passing “Good Cause” legislation into law.
Sincerely,
Housing Justice for All members and allies including,
- 89th Street Tenants Unidos Association
- Broome Street Tenants Alliance
- Buffalo Democratic Socialists of America
- CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities
- Campaign for NY Health
- Carroll Gardens Association
- CASA-New Settlement
- Citizen Action of New York
- City-Wide Tenant Union of Rochester
- Chhaya
- Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC)
- Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH)
- Community Service Society
- Community Voices Heard
- Cooper Square Committee
- Crown Heights Tenant Union
- DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving
- Free the People WNY Coalition
- Fifth Avenue Committee
- Flatbush Tenants Coalition
- For the Many
- Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES)
- Greenbrook Tenants Coalition
- Housing Conservation Coordinators
- Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition
- Housing Organizers for People Empowerment
- Housing Rights Initiative
- Housing Works
- Hunger Free America
- Ithaca Tenants Union
- JustFix
- The Legal Aid Society
- Long Island Progressive Coalition
- Los Sures Lucha
- Lower Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America
- Make the Road New York
- Met Council on Housing
- Mid Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America
- Morningside Heights Resistance
- Nassau County Democratic Socialists of America
- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
- Neighbors Together
- New York City Democratic Socialists of America
- New York Communities for Change
- New York State Tenants & Neighbors
- New York Working Families Party
- Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition
- NY4NY
- Partnership for the Homeless
- Partnership for the Public Good
- Pratt Center for Community Development
- PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing) Buffalo
- Release Aging People in Prison Campaign
- Resource Generation NYC
- Ridgewood Tenants Union
- Right to Counsel NYC Coalition
- Riverside Edgecomb Neighborhood Alliance (RENA)
- Safety Net Project – Urban Justice Center
- Southside United HDFC-Los Sures
- Southwest Brooklyn Tenant Union
- St. Nicks Alliance
- Suffolk County Democratic Socialists of America
- Syracuse Democratic Socialists of America
- Syracuse Tenants Union
- TakeRoot Justice
- Tenants Political Action Committee
- Together We Will Long Island
- Troy Democratic Socialists of America
- Westside Neighborhood Alliance (WSNA)
- Woodside On The Move
- United Neighbors Organization (UNO)
- Uptown Community Democrats
- VOCAL-NY