TESTIMONY
Genesis Aquino, Executive Director, Tenants & Neighbors on Housing Affordability and the Need for Stronger Rent Stabilization Policies
2:13:36
·
4 min
Genesis Aquino highlights the exacerbating affordable housing crisis in New York City and calls for stronger rent stabilization measures.
- Aquino outlines the steep challenges low and moderate income tenants face, such as displacement pressures and unaffordable rent increases.
- The testimony attributes the housing crisis partly to pro-landlord policies and the significant influence of the real estate industry.
- Over 600,000 affordable housing units have been lost over the past 30 years, negatively impacting primarily communities of color.
- Aquino emphasizes the effectiveness of rent stabilization in allowing tenants to remain in their communities and improve living conditions.
- Recommendations to the City Council include maintaining the Rent Stabilization Law of 1975 and supporting various policies to protect and expand affordable housing options.
Genesis Aquino
2:13:36
Good afternoon, and thank you, Chairman.
2:13:40
To a woman, Sanchez, into the house in in buildings, community members for the opportunity to testify today.
2:13:47
My name is Hennessy's.
2:13:48
Kino.
2:13:49
I'm the city director of New York State Finance And Neighbor's Information Service, and New York State Finance And Neighbor's Coalition to affiliate of organizations.
2:13:57
With the combination to build a power for a unified state wide organization that empowers another state tenants serving for the whole house in Liverpool, neighborhoods, and diverse communities, and Sprint and tenants, protesters.
2:14:12
Tenants and neighbors, organizers, immigrants, regulated, Mishalama in project based session and development citywide.
2:14:19
In the buildings where we organized, the story is the same low and moderate income tenants in New York City are regularly experiencing freshers of displacement.
2:14:30
Rents are climbing, and many communities are experiencing the threats of being priced out of their homes.
2:14:37
A major cause of domestic massive affordability and housing crisis is the power of the real estate industry to shape pro landlord policies and laws.
2:14:48
So if the purpose of this hearing is to ask if we have an emergency, the answer is yes.
2:14:54
It is obvious.
2:14:55
New York City is in the worst affordability crisis the city has ever seen.
2:15:03
Not only have we Now we have we lost hundreds of affordable housing.
2:15:10
Brand Stabilize you and its tenants are also living The tenants currently living in rent stabilized apartment are increasingly unable to afford their rent.
2:15:22
Principulation is the largest source of affordable housing for low and moderate income tenants and is largely is largely concentrated in historic communities of color that are now rapidly gentrifying.
2:15:37
But unfortunately, we have lost over 600,000 apartments of affordable housing to low income renters over the last 30 years.
2:15:47
There are more than a 1,000,000 units of brand stabilized housing and 2,500,000 tenants in Rambo, the housing.
2:15:57
Over 14 sorry.
2:15:59
Over 400,000 low income families live in rent regulated housing.
2:16:07
And most of them are concentrated in over Manhattan, the West Browns, Western Queens, and Central Brooklyn.
2:16:14
This is a pattern partly this pattern, excuse me, is partly the result of vacancy, destabilization, especially before 2019 and coke conversions.
2:16:28
The practice of speculative targeting of affordable housing has decimated affordable housing in our communities.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
2:16:42
Thank you thank you for your testimony.
2:16:44
Is there is there anything you wanted to add?
Genesis Aquino
2:16:48
Yes.
2:16:49
Give me one second.
2:16:52
Yeah.
2:16:52
Just, you know, just verbally summarizing the the testimony.
2:16:55
But, you know, in 60% of the apartments that we in 60% of the non regulated apartment sorry.
2:17:03
60% of the tenants who live in non regulated housing usually they have to relook relocate.
2:17:10
Right?
2:17:11
When we start organizing, when the tenants start enforcing their rights, to livable conditions.
2:17:18
Right?
2:17:18
They usually displace they displace, and they relocate outside of their own communities.
2:17:24
Right?
2:17:24
In comparison in comparison to the tenants who we organized are living rent stabilized buildings, 90% of them get to stay in their communities and in if they do organize them with 2 builds and associations, they improve their housing conditions.
2:17:39
So we just want to stronger urged the city council to determine that a public emergency is requiring rent control in your city.
2:17:51
And to continue with the rand civilization law of 1975.
2:17:56
We also want to echo some of the policies that you should support, you know, as mentioned by some of our colleagues here.
2:18:08
We also support and we would love the city council to pass the community opportunity to purchase at also to support the neighborhood's pillar program, the right to counsel, and also expand the Fax program for low income people.
2:18:25
Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify.