Andrew Friedman

Low-income tenants are left in the cold

Last week, Make the Road by Walking, ACORN and other members of Housing Here & Now - a broad coalition of over 100 tenant organizations, clergy, unions and advocates - joined tenants living in distressed housing in Brooklyn to release a report documenting the Bloomberg administration's failure to ensure timely repairs of dangerous housing conditions.

Of the 1,533 buildings identified in 2003 by HPD for their serious distress, 438 buildings have more immediately hazardous class C violations today. 1,028 buildings still have at four or more Housing Maintenance Code violations per unit.

The time has come for Mayor Bloomberg and HPD to end the impunity for negligent landlords. The City must ensure safe housing for all New Yorkers. Children in New York City should not have to live in apartments that lack heat and hot water, lack windows, or have dangerous leaks next to electrical outlets.

The only beneficiaries of the status quo are sleazy landlords who collect rent but don't provide decent housing. Bloomberg must couple his ambitious housing development plans with an ambitious housing preservation plan. He should immediately implement the key provisions of the Healthy Homes Act, legislation that is supported by over two thirds of the City Council that would crack down on negligent landlords and obligate HPD to step to improve housing conditions when New Yorkers are living in danger.

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Posted at 8:39 AM, Nov 21, 2005 in Housing
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