Governor Cuomo’s extension of his executive order on evictions is not enough to keep families safely home during deadly second-wave of Covid-19 pandemic
Albany, NY— In response to state leaders voting on an eviction moratorium today as an important step in protecting New Yorkers during the second wave of Covid-19, Stanley Fritz, Political Director of Citizen Action of New York, said:
“No one in a state and country as wealthy as ours should be one emergency or health crisis away from homelessness. Today’s vote on an evictions moratorium bill shows that the State Senate and Assembly recognize the need to keep people in their homes to keep New Yorkers healthy and safe. Governor Cuomo’s executive order on evictions was a continuation of his inadequate response to a crisis that has forced thousands of New Yorkers into evictions. Passing the legislature’s moratorium would be an important first step by state leaders following months of organizing by the Black, Brown and low-income communities facing the brunt of the evictions crisis. About 1.4 million tenant households are behind on rent due to no fault of their own, with Black and Brown tenants three to four times as likely to be facing eviction as their white counterparts.
We’re keeping up the pressure on legislators and Governor Cuomo in 2021 to end all unjust evictions by passing Good Cause Eviction protections and to tax the ultra-rich to get our economy working for everyday people, not just billionaires.
It’s more important to keep families in their homes than to protect the profits of corporate developers. We look forward to the legislature passing the eviction moratorium today so that it can be sent to Governor Cuomo for an immediate signature.”