NYC Will Never Look the Same if we Don’t Fix Our Housing Crisis
Governor Cuomo can lead on this issue with a single bold order.
New York City will remember 2020 as one of its hardest and most difficult years as the COVID-19 crisis impacted every single household, small business, and neighborhood. On Staten Island, our communities have been hit hard by the spread of the virus. Yet, we’ve remained resilient in the face of each of these challenges, coming together to deliver food to neighbors, fight for justice, and so much more.
But, to make it through this and prepare for what lies ahead of us, our communities need bold government action.
The impact of this pandemic is straining New Yorkers, and without immediate support from our State and City governments, our city is on the brink of dramatically worsening our housing crisis in ways we previously could not have imagined. Protecting our communities from displacement in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis — whether caused by unaffordability, eviction, or foreclosure — is going to require more than slogans.
No one should lose their home because they cannot pay their bills, and especially not during a time when so many are struggling to maintain their livelihoods.
To this end, one of the most important things that Albany can do is to provide as many renters as possible with support in paying their rent. This is something that can be done right now by the State to protect thousands from the risk of eviction. The same support should be available to homeowners so that they can stay on top of their mortgages and tax bills and avoid foreclosure.
For both renters and homeowners, moratoria on all eviction and foreclosure proceedings are absolutely necessary. Governor Cuomo can lead on this issue with a single bold order. Evictions and foreclosures are devastating to families, leaving them without a home and with a long and difficult path towards finding housing they can afford or rebuilding their lost equity.
City Hall alone is responsible for a key problem disproportionately affecting Staten Islanders and small homeowners: the practice of selling tax liens. When New York City homeowners fall behind on property taxes, water bills, and other charges, the City sells their debt to private equity firms and other actors in the business of profiting on the back of homeowners struggling to make ends meet.
Our current system takes wealth from working families in New York City, struggling to get by, and transfers it to investment companies, which are often in far away tax-havens, leaving us collectively with less affordable housing and more budget shortfalls. The pandemic has exacerbated these issues to a breaking point, and the time to take action is now. Our Mayor can start this process in his final months in office and build a lasting legacy. There must be reform or our city will become even more inequitable as communities of color fight to survive through this crisis.
Every elected official has a solemn duty to keep COVID from upending families and communities now and in the future. If they don’t, our City will never look the same.
Selina Grey is running to represent the North Shore of Staten Island in the New York City Council in 2021.
