“Thanks to the tireless advocacy of tenants and homeless New Yorkers, the legislature today has for the first time indicated their support for Good Cause eviction protections”
NEW YORK – In response to the release of the Assembly and Senate one-house budget resolutions, Housing Justice for All, a statewide coalition of more than 80 organizations that represents tenants and homeless New Yorkers, released the following statement from Campaign Coordinator Cea Weaver:
“For years, tenants and homeless New Yorkers have organized relentlessly to rein in out-of-control rents and landlords who are keen to exploit them. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of everyday New Yorkers, the legislature today has for the first time indicated their support for Good Cause eviction protections to curb runaway rent costs and help New Yorkers stay in their homes, as well as other investments like rental assistance for homeless New Yorkers to access safe and permanent housing.
The strongest pathway to protecting tenants and stabilizing New York neighborhoods today is the swift passage of Good Cause and the Housing Access Voucher Program in the budget. These measures will equip tenants with a powerful toolbox to fight for safe and decent living conditions and finally hold the state’s worst landlords to account. They will help put a roof over the heads of tens of thousands of New Yorkers who are trapped in shelters or on the streets right now. And they will keep New York safer and healthier in the long run.
We are thankful that Speaker Carl Heastie and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have opened the door to negotiations on Good Cause – a bill that is long overdue and popular with New Yorkers in every region of the state. But this budget is far from finished. Now, Albany leaders must stand up to the real estate lobby to deliver a budget that truly works for New Yorkers.
In the next two weeks, we urge legislative leadership to resist the siren song of big real estate and fight for statewide Good Cause eviction protections and a fully funded Housing Access Voucher Program as negotiations unfold.”