Protesters marched outside the Real Estate Board of New York’s Manhattan headquarters Thursday, while others blocked foot traffic in an act of civil disobedience. The NYPD arrested 13 people, including the city’s Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams.
“Not only are such increases necessary to secure investments in badly needed and widely desired public goods like education, health care, and housing, the costs of which are likely the driving factor behind the worrisome out-migration of working and middle class New Yorkers.”
“As our planet hurtles toward climate tipping points, beyond which climate chaos is irreversible, every dollar we spend on fossil fuels today takes us backwards.”
Both the Senate and the Assembly have included tax-related reforms in their “one-house” budget proposals that would impact those with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), often used by immigrant workers. Advocates say extending credits to this population would help reduce child poverty.
As elected officials attempt to hammer out a housing deal before the state’s budget deadline at the end of the month, advocates want lawmakers to know they’re still fighting for tenant protections that aren’t watered down.
Tenants and advocates say the funding would repair 40,000 apartments and help cover outstanding rent arrears accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since CUNY is one of the city’s most traversed pathways out of poverty, any decision to block or compromise this escape route must be considered for its short and long-term consequences.”
“For many nonprofit building owners like us, it is not a question of if we will be able to keep these buildings as supportive housing; rather, it is a question of how long we can afford to.”
While the total won’t be clear until remaining applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) are processed, a majority of the $391 in aid will likely go to the housing authority and other public housing tenants, with $35 million specifically earmarked for NYCHA. Still, thousands of New Yorkers living in public or subsidized housing did not apply for ERAP but continue to struggle with mounting debt.
The bill determines how money generated from the program will be spent but fails to include protective measures for disadvantaged communities, environmentalists warn.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
