PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Emilia Decaudin, Member of New York City DSA
9:39:21
·
98 sec
Emilia Decaudin, a Queens resident and member of New York City DSA, speaks in support of the City of Yes proposal, emphasizing the urgent need to build more housing to address the current crisis. She argues that decades of down-zoning and policies favoring landlords have led to the current situation with low vacancy rates and high rents.
- Decaudin stresses the importance of building housing now to prevent future crises
- She highlights the personal impact of the housing crisis, including on the LGBTQ+ community
- The speaker urges the city council to pass City of Yes, stating that while it may not solve everything, it's a necessary start
Emilia Decaudin
9:39:21
Hi, Carlo.
9:39:21
My name is Emilia Decaudin.
9:39:24
I'm a Queens resident, a proud Mets fan, and a member of New York City DSA, although I'm speaking in my own capacity.
9:39:34
I think that we've heard a lot of talk about what needs to happen alongside city of the US, but I'm gonna flip this around a little bit.
9:39:41
Yes.
9:39:41
We need social housing.
9:39:43
Yes.
9:39:43
We need more tenant protections.
9:39:45
Yes.
9:39:46
We need more money for vouchers.
9:39:48
For city thefts, etcetera.
9:39:50
But while we're here now, we need to build as much housing as we can.
9:39:55
And so that 10 years from now, we don't find ourselves in the same boat that we are today.
9:40:01
It's only because of decades and decades of down zoning, failure to build enough housing, and policies that pre prefer and promote landlords over tenants that we have a housing crisis today with our vacancy rate so low, my rent is high enough, and I live in quote unquote, affordable housing, and it's still a significant portion of my rent.
9:40:24
And I'm probably one of the lucky ones.
9:40:25
I have friends who can't afford their rent, they're gonna have to move out of the city.
9:40:30
Or they can't afford to come here.
9:40:32
And as a trans person that's very personal to me, because being able to live in New York City is, in some cases, a matter of life and death, when you think about the anti trans policies, that are taking hold in so many states across the country.
9:40:49
So I really urge the city council to pass city of yes.
9:40:55
You don't have to finish the work, but you're required to start it.
