May 4, 2007
RENT CAP BILL MOVES FORWARD
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Cheers for the Chair |
Applause rang around the committee room Tuesday afternoon as Assembly Social Services chair Keith Wright gaveled the passage of A. 5473, a measure that would cap rents for low-income HIV-positive tenants at 30 percent of their income.
The unanimous vote — gotta give it up for the Ds AND the Rs — moved the measure to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, where it's expected to be considered soon.
A crowd of about a dozen Housing Works client activists joined the Assembly Members, lobbyists and staff for the brief hearing, and some even gave Wright big 'ol hugs and kisses after the vote.
Dozens of AIDS groups, including Housing Works and the New York City AIDS Housing Network, have been pushing for the bill as a needed follow-up to the Pataki-induced AIDS rent crisis of 2006-2007.
Governor Spitzer and his welfare chief David Hansell changed the Pataki policy on rent and budgeting for tenants in federally supported AIDS-congregate housing and agreed to follow the federal rent guidelines that impose a 30 percent cap for about 2,200 tenants in supportive housing.
But about 10,000 low-income HIV-positive tenants — most receiving services from New York City's HIV/AIDS Services Administration — are in a similar situation and are paying big chunks of their SSI or SSD checks to their private landlords.
The AIDS, housing and antipoverty activists who fought the Pataki AIDS rent hikes promised to follow up with a campaign to assure reasonable rents for all low-income tenants with AIDS. And A. 5473, sponsored by Assembly Member Deborah Glick — along with its Senate companion, S. 2890, sponsored by Senator Tom Duane — are what it will take to get the job done.
We'll try to get you advance notice of the next steps for the two bills — to join the campaign to protect tenants with HIV/AIDS, email Charles Long at long2@housingworks.org.