Racial justice advocates were joined by elected officials at the capitol in Albany Monday to make the case for “Good Cause” eviction legislation.
The advocates from across New York released a new report called "Racial Justice and the Right to Remain," which shows Black renters are three times as likely as white ones to face eviction, and are most in need of the protections the Good Cause Eviction Bill and the Housing Access Voucher Program would provide.
Several cities including Kingston and Albany have been embracing local “good cause” laws in recent months.
Democratic state Senator Jabari Brisport of Brooklyn says it comes down to racial justice.
"When Black women are the most likely to be evicted, Good Cause Eviction is a racial justice issue," said Brisport. " In my district, where rents are increasing in some parts upwards of over 40% since last year, and it's rapidly gentrifying, Good Cause Eviction is a racial justice issue. In my district, where a white tenant spoke up on behalf of a Black tenant who was being mistreated, and was served with a non-renewal of his lease by the landlord in a retaliation, Good Cause Eviction is a racial justice issue. We are going to fight for the entire state because what's happening in Brooklyn is happening everywhere and we need to fight back against greedy landlords against retaliatory landlords and say we are going to give people the rights to remain in their homes.”
Many landlords who went through the COVID-induced eviction moratorium are leery of Good Cause Eviction. Property owners have said the change in law would limit their ability to make property improvements while tenants are in place.
The activists say there are 92,000 unhoused people right now living in New York City. According to the report, over two-thirds of Black New Yorkers are renters, and counties with the highest shares of Black renters, including Bronx, Schenectady and Monroe, have seen high shares of eviction filings over the past two years, while the eviction moratorium was in effect.
Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, also a Democrat, represents lower Manhattan. She says the best way to prevent homelessness is to make sure that people can stay in their homes.
"We have to make sure that we pass could cause eviction because every single piece of legislation that comes through our legislature now has to always look through the lens of social justice, racial justice, economic justice," said Niou. And if we do not do that now, then we are going to be doing a huge disservice to our people."
Democratic Capital Region Assemblyman John McDonald represents the 108th. He told WAMC in January he supports the intent of Good Cause Eviction, but looking at the bigger picture, he must also consider the position of the landlords who own apartments.
"Since I am a legislator who is very deliberative, I look at the issues comprehensively because far too often advocates push for things and end up wondering why they don't get their outcome is because it's not well thought out legislation," said McDonald. "And I will say this. There's at least three or four similar bills in the legislature. All that speak to the concern we all have while making sure that tenants who are paying their rent aren't subjected to high increases. I support that."
The activists are urging Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature to immediately enact the Good Cause Eviction Bill, saying the measure will provide housing security to 1.6 million renter households across the state. Hochul, asked about the bill during a Sunday briefing, did not take a firm stance on the legislation. She pointed to her extension of tenant protections during the COVID emergency.
"We extended the eviction moratorium until January 15, whereas every other state had stopped it at that time," Hochul said. "So I think my credentials and positions in terms of protecting people during this pandemic are very clear and established.”
