Testimony Before the New York City Council Housing and Buildings Committee Regarding Extending the Rent Stabilization Laws and New York City’s Housing Emergency
June 7, 2022
Thank you to Committee Chair Sanchez and members of the Housing and Buildings Committee for the opportunity to testify on New York City’s ongoing housing emergency and the need to maintain rent stabilization.
Commercial tenants do not currently have any rent protections beyond what is included in their lease. This means that small businesses are often hit with rent increases they can’t afford, which effectively function as evictions to make way for higher-paying tenants or lead to commercial vacancies.
Thank you for holding the September 13 hearing on multiple important pieces of legislation. My name is Lucy Block and I’m a Research and Policy Associate at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD). ANHD is a member organization whose mission is to build community power to win affordable housing and thriving, equitable neighborhoods for all New Yorkers. We believe housing justice is economic justice is racial justice. Our members are neighborhood-based affordable housing and equitable economic development organizations across New York City.