Testimony: Expanding Housing Rights
Testimony by Khush Kam-Au, CSS Campaign Liaison
Before the NYC Council Committee on Housing and Buildings
Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the thousands of New Yorkers who are living in incredibly underfunded NYCHA buildings and low-income housing units. My name is Khush Kam-Au and I am the Campaign Liaison at the Community Service Society of New York. CSS uses a multifaceted approach to attack income inequality in New York. CSS has been at the forefront of this work for more than 175 years, changing our strategy and focus as the times demand. We engage in policy work, legislative advocacy, impactful direct services programs and litigation in order to help create a fairer, stronger New York. As members of JustLeadershipUSA’s #buildCOMMUNITIES campaign, CSS wants all communities to be safe, well-resourced, and have a strong sense of stability. CSS’s mission – to eradicate poverty and income-inequality by advocating for policy meant to better the quality of life for all, especially our most vulnerable populations – is in-line with #buildCOMMUNITIES demand for an increase in the Housing & Buildings budget for expanded housing rights and improvements made to public housing units throughout the City. We are here today to support that demand.
I want to use my time today to highlight two planks in the #buildCOMMUNITIES platform.
The first is to create, preserve, and maintain true affordable housing throughout New York City that is accessible to all. There are many ways to make sure this happens. One is through removing the barriers people with criminal records and a history of justice-involvement face when finding and keeping housing, by passing the Fair Chance for Housing Act. This Act, which is similar to legislation Seattle and Oakland have implemented, would require questions about prior convictions to be removed from housing applications, so individuals can have rapid access to housing. Without stable housing, no reentry gains are possible. You cannot hold down a job, provide for your family or participate in your community without a home. Another is through investing at least $1.5 billion in NYCHA for the purpose of taking care of deferred maintenance that plagues NYCHA buildings and for making long-overdue improvements. New Yorkers who live in public housing face the consequences of underfunded and under maintained buildings on a daily basis. New York’s public housing used to be the pride of the nation. We need to work toward making this a reality again.
Second, I would like to place focus on #buildCOMMUNITIES demand for expanding and improving services that help people to stay in their homes. CSS supported and urged passage of Right to Counsel legislation in 2017. Our research since the law’s implementation has shown that providing legal representation and assistance to New Yorkers has played a major role in reducing the rates of evictions in those zip codes where Right to Counsel has been rolled out RTC – because it involves attorneys who are experts in housing law – has proven to be an effective and powerful tool for enforcing the new rent laws, particularly when those laws are being contested in court. Nonetheless, despite its success in its short existence, RTC hasn’t been fully extended to NYCHA residents who face administrative hearings that can make or break their right to remain in their homes, and does not cover moderate-income households, who also face issues in keeping their homes. CSS’s 2019 Unheard Third survey showed that 30 percent of moderate-income level New Yorkers have experienced one or more housing hardships. We believe that that doubling RTC’s qualification threshold to 400% of the FPL can make a significant difference in helping this large group of in-need New Yorkers. Even without expanding eligibility for RTC, much more must be done now to make people aware of its existence. In 2019, CASA- New Settlement and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition conducted a survey in RTC-eligible zip codes. They found that only half of the survey’s respondents knew about RTC, while others went to Housing Court unrepresented, and unaware of their now-legal right to free assistance from a skilled attorney.
We urge you as decision and law makers to act on these requests as many New Yorkers are in need of housing reform now. Thank you for this opportunity to add to the conversation about these vitally important issues as they relate to the budget. Your support could not be more vital and timely.