NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A group of activists and tenants met at the Rockville Centre LIRR station around 10:45 a.m. on Saturday to march for housing rights.
New York Communities for Change and a number of other housing rights advocacy and activism groups demanded guaranteed housing and protection against evictions.
“Tenants, residents, constituents have been asking them to pass legislation that’s going to keep them off the streets, and our elected officials have consistently turned their backs,” William Bailey, an organizer for NYCC, told 1010 WINS.
The protesters specifically called for legislation establishing a right to counsel for anyone facing eviction and the passage of the “good cause” eviction bill.
The bill, which was first introduced in 2019, would guarantee lease renewal unless tenants failed to pay rent, violated their lease or caused a nuisance. Landlords would need a “good cause” to evict, rather than evicting in order to bring in higher-paying tenants at the end of a lease.
The bill would also cap rent increases at 3% per year or 1.5 times the rate of inflation — whichever is higher.
The bill was not brought for a vote in the New York State Senate at the end of this year’s legislative session. Legislators instead voted for a bill to form a commission to evaluate affordable housing.
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