May 25, 2007
RING OF IRE
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Housing Works' Williams on the march
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What a shame! What a pity! We can't live in New York City!
So cheered some 5,000 to 7,000 New Yorkers at the "Hands Across Stuyvesant Town" rally that launched the New York Is Our Home affordable housing campaign on Wednesday, May 23. It's not clear whether the rally's gimmick—forming a human chain around the massive middle-income Stuyvesant Town complex—really happened — but the event attracted a diverse crowd of passionate tenant's rights, housing, and homeless advocates, including HIV/AIDS organizations like Housing Works and the New York City AIDS Housing Network. A handful of pols turned out, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Comptroller William Thompson, HIV-positive State Senator Tom Duane and State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried.
The march called attention to the problem of the shrinking supply of affordable housing in New York and demanded a handful of reforms, including ending rent destabilization and protecting and expanding Section 8 and Mitchell-Lama housing. Unfortunately, mainstream press failed to mention one of the campaign's other demands: a statewide cap of 30 percent on the amount of money low-income HIV-positive people must put toward their rent. (Then again, the New York Times didn't even cover the demo.) New York is Our Home hits Albany on June 5 to push for Mitchell-Lama reform and is creating a map of rent increases (help 'em out with it).
Housing Works client Cheryl Williams marched on Wednesday. Even with HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) benefits, food stamps, and a job as a security guard, 70 percent of Williams' income goes to her $975 rent. "I'm grateful to be getting HASA, but it's just not enough," she said, adding "And people with HIV but not AIDS should receive HASA benefits. I'm here fighting for equal subsides for people with HIV and AIDS. It's the same disease."
Fighting for HASA for ALL
Williams referred to the ongoing HASA for All campaign seeking to expand full HASA benefits to all low-income folks who are HIV-positive. Currently, an AIDS diagnosis or two AIDS-defining illnesses are required to get full benefits. Although she attended the Stuy Town demo, telling the New York daily Metro that "housing prices are one of the biggest problems we have in New York," Quinn opposes HASA for All. That doesn't make much sense to Dave Golden, who also attended Wednesday's march. He doesn't receive HIV/AIDS Services Administration benefits even though he's been HIV-positive since 2001. "I'm on a fixed income," he said. "And there are people with HIV who are worse off than I am and in shelters. They need special health care."
HASA for All continues to gain momentum. On Sunday a delegation of 50 people from Housing Works, NYCAHN, YouthCan, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition participated in AIDS Walk New York to raise money for the campaign. And the list of community-based organizations signing the "Letter of Support" for HASA for All is growing every week. Kim Nichols, coexecutive director of the African Services Committee, recently jumped on board. Many clients at African Services Committee are illegal immigrants and can't access benefits under the current HASA regulations even if they have AIDS. "HASA benefits are reserved for people with legal status," she said. "I hope an improved HASA could pick up the slack."
To learn more about the HASA for All sign-on letter or add your organization to the list of supporters, e-mail Derrick Chandler at chandler@housingworks.org.
To get involved in HASA for All, contact terri smith-caronia at smith-caronia@housingworks.org.