March 15, 2023 (Albany, NY) – Yesterday, members of Citizen Action of New York from across the state joined Housing Justice for All for a major day of action. Due to inclement weather, a Virtual Marathon Phone Bank was held in place of original plans for an in-person Day of Action at the State Capitol. Members placed phone calls to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie in support of crucial housing bills like Good Cause tenant protections, the Housing Access Voucher Program, and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.
In total, over 600 phone calls were made, temporarily shutting down the phone lines in Albany. Elected officials who joined the virtual event to cheer folks on included Senator Jabari Brisport, Assemblymember Anna Kelles, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha. In a victory for the people, the State Senate’s one house budget included housing policies that hundreds of New Yorkers called for.
“Everyone deserves a safe place to live. We kept the pressure on, and it paid off,” said Genevieve Rand, Statewide Housing Organizer for Citizen Action. “The Senate and the Assembly heard us loud and clear making housing a priority in the budget. We need them to stand strong and keep up the good work until the final budgets cross the finish line.”
“Currently, it is all too easy for an absentee landlord to let a building deteriorate and simply evict any tenants who push for needed repairs. We’re seeing this happen all over New York City as a tactic to gentrify neighborhoods by pushing out longer-term residents,” Jamell Henderson, Regional Council Chair of the NYC Chapter of Citizen Action of New York. “Good Cause tenant protections will make sure that people who’ve done nothing wrong can stay in their homes.”
Housing is one part of Citizen Action’s Our Justice Agenda, a comprehensive set of policies that meet the needs of everyday New Yorkers. Citizen Action of New York is a grassroots membership organization with seven regional chapters across New York State.
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