Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing
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Affordable Housing has been just a “buzzword” for too long. The question is, affordable to who? We can’t build our way out of this problem-- especially if we are building for the wealthiest among us, as is too often the case. There is a path for change:

Tenants

• Repeal Urstadt and bring “home rule” for housing laws back to the NYC Council, not keep in the state legislature.
• Repeal high income and vacancy de-control to stop the loss of rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments and create avenues to restore those already gone
• Change how rents are set and allow them to be adjusted with tenants in min-- not just rich owners
• Preserve what few affordable units we have left. We must preserve Mithchell-Lama and Section 8 buildings, or pass a law converting them to rent-stabilized apartments
• Provide legislation to protect tenants, often forgotten, against foreclosure

Homeowners and Small Landlords

• We must separate small landlords and homeowners from large multiple dwelling owners, so they can get their specific needs addressed
• * Help owners who need assistance with problems beyond their control like broken sidewalks and graffiti removal
• Bring back the rebate that is so desperately needed
• Help owners fined excessively by sanitation and other agencies
• Help owners understand their tax assessments and other utility bills so they can identify over-charges and ways to reduce costs

Foreclosure

• Strengthen, create, and use laws to prevent current homeowners from losing their homes
• Mandate properly informing and educating first-time homebuyers
• Combat predatory lending. There should be a moratorium on lending and the City should stop doing business with businesses that use predatory practices.
• There should be a two week grace period for homebuyers to back out of a mortgage they are uncomfortable with
• Make sure there are protections for tenants (the foreclosure forgotten) who are affected by foreclosures through no fault of their own