Thursday, President Biden will visit New York amidst the backdrop of a devastating housing crisis that has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome the president here, and we urge him to take a hard look at the conditions that we face every day as legislators from two of the places hardest hit by the twin crises of eviction and COVID-19.
We represent Queens and the Bronx in the Legislature. In our home districts, immigrants, people of color, and New York’s essential workers struggle to cover their housing costs while gentrification and eviction run rampant. Earlier this month, New York’s eviction moratorium lapsed. Across New York City, more than 200,000 eviction cases will begin to move forward — 35% of them in the Bronx and 18% of them in Queens.
We have helped countless constituents apply for our state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, but ERAP has run dry. Despite a multi-billion-dollar backlog in rent, last month the federal government awarded New York State just $27 million to address this crisis. Gov. Hochul has written to leaders of Congress and the president, calling on them to send $1.7 billion more in necessary rental relief to New York. We urge President Biden to heed this call.
But temporary federal rental relief alone cannot address the housing crisis that our communities face. We must step up and push for permanent solutions to stabilize our neighborhoods in the wake of this pandemic.
There are two bills before the Legislature that, together, will ensure a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by helping tenants stay housed and providing necessary relief to low-income New Yorkers who cannot pay the rent.
Good cause eviction legislation would require landlords to have a good reason (such as non-payment of rent) to pursue eviction and prohibits raising the rent by an unreasonable amount. This bill will provide due process for renters as eviction cases begin to move forward. It would protect tenants from real estate speculation and discriminatory evictions. As landlords are seeking double-digit rent increases, it would give tenants a tool to fight back. We are eager to see it become law.
We also must address housing affordability across the state. The rent is quite simply too damn high. We are proud supporters of the Housing Access Voucher Program. The idea behind HAVP is simple: It’s a permanent rental assistance program for low-income New Yorkers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Bronx and Queens see some of the highest rates of eviction and some of the highest rates of families entering the shelter system. HAVP would tackle this problem head-on, helping all people, regardless of their immigration status, pay the rent.
To illustrate the urgent need for these bills, consider the case of Bibi — a Guyanese immigrant and mother who lives in South Queens. Bibi is facing a “no-fault eviction” from her home of four years. Her landlord simply wants her gone. In her current apartment, she can afford the rent, but she cannot afford to move. Good cause eviction would protect her from discriminatory evictions like this one. HAVP would help her afford a new place to live if she ends up having to move.
The pandemic is not yet over, and its impacts on our way of life will be felt for years to come. The only answer lies with permanent solutions like Good Cause Eviction and HAVP. As President Biden comes to New York, we hope these policies — rental assistance, eviction protections and permanent housing stability — are top of mind. After all, housing is the foundation for safety.
Rivera represents Fordham and Kingsbridge and other neighborhoods in The Bronx in the state Senate; González-Rojas represents Corona and Jackson Heights, Queens and other neighborhoods in the Assembly.
