On a recent Sunday, about 1,500
HUD tenants rallied in Manhattan’s McCaffrey Park to send this
urgent message to the next Mayor of New York City: Save Our
Homes! Save Section 8 Housing!
During the 1970s and 80s, over 90,000 units of HUD-assisted
housing were built throughout the five boroughs. Owners were
paid federal subsidies to boost rents and serve low-income New
Yorkers. Along with guaranteeing the landlords’ profits for over
20 years, these Section 8 buildings were often oases of stable
housing, forming the heart and soul of many of the City's most
vibrant neighborhoods.
But as federal contracts governing their affordability
expire, many owners are choosing to opt-out of the program so
they can charge luxury-level rents, thus forcing out low-income
tenants. Already 9,100 of the City’s Section 8 housing units
have been lost since 1995. Approximately 35,000 more apartments
are at risk in the next five years.
Therefore,
tenants, together with not-for-profit neighborhood housing
groups and citywide advocates, are calling on the next Mayor to
take a stand against heartless Bush Administration policies that
will leave even more people homeless. "We won't have a home if
they take our Section 8 housing," stated Grace Howell (left), a
senior citizen living in Roosevelt Gardens who had come from the
Bronx with other members of Community Action for Safe Apartments
(CASA) to participate in the rally. "We can't afford to go
anywhere else," said James McNill, a residents of Harlem’s
Audubon Apartments. "We were born here, we have been living
here, and we want to stay here," added Diane Whitted, a fellow
Audubon resident.
One of the afternoon’s speakers was Sheena Wright(right), who
led the
successful effort to preserve Ennis Francis Houses in Harlem.
She got straight to the crux of the problem when she commented,
"We're up against the fact that the land on which our homes are
built is literally a gold mine. It is valuable property. And,"
she continued, "it is valuable because we made it valuable. We
spun the gold. We fought the drug dealers and the crime; we
organized community cleanups."
Wright went on to say that they can’t just let the greedy
landlords tell them, "Thank you very much for making this land
valuable; now get out." "It is time to stake our claim," Wright
declared. "We have to own our homes. Tenant ownership is the
solution."
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Minerva
de Jesus (left), a resident of West Farms, spoke about her
experiences working to save her own home, as well as those of
other buildings in the South Bronx that have opted out of the
Section 8 program in favor of the voucher system. "Many tenants
have been told that they don’t qualify for vouchers for some
reason," she stated. "Others are losing their apartments because
they’re not able to pay the 30% and 40% rate hikes. It is
imperative that we – the community and elected officials – take
the necessary steps to make sure that these apartments remain
affordable to everyone."
Two
elected officials who are ready to do just that are Council
Members Christine Quinn (left) and David Weprin (below). Quinn
harshly criticized mayoral candidates who utter hollow
statements about preserving housing – all the while planning to
vote against the Tenant Empowerment Act, a local law passed by
the City Council last August giving tenants and not-for-profits
the right to purchase Section 8 developments at risk of opting
out of the program.
David
Weprin, Chair of the City Council’s Finance Committee, has
clearly put the City’s money where his mouth is. He spoke about
the hundreds of millions of dollars that the City Council
budgeted to preserve affordable housing and to protect tenants
in Section 8 buildings. "We cannot give in to the landlords that
are just looking to make a profit at the expense of tenants," he
declared. "I'm here to tell you that I will be with you each and
every step of the way to pass whatever laws are necessary, to
preserve existing laws, and to put even more money into the
capital budget for affordable housing."
Organizers are calling on the next mayor to make a "Not one
more home lost" pledge to tenants and New Yorkers. It would:
Establish a "Preservation Czar" to coordinate
preservation and advocacy around publicly assisted
housing.
Help more tenants keep their homes by connecting them
to community groups and legal representation.
Create a $75 million annual acquisition grant fund
for tenants and nonprofits to preserve Section 8 housing
as permanently affordable and to allow rehabilitation as
necessary.
Bring the full political capital of the City to make
sure HUD does right by New York by providing appropriate
resources and protections to tenants.
To get involved in the fight to save Section 8 housing,
contact the Save Our Homes Coalition - Association for
Neighborhood and Housing Development at (212) 747-1117.
Therefore,
tenants, together with not-for-profit neighborhood housing
groups and citywide advocates, are calling on the next Mayor to
take a stand against heartless Bush Administration policies that
will leave even more people homeless. "We won't have a home if
they take our Section 8 housing," stated Grace Howell (left), a
senior citizen living in Roosevelt Gardens who had come from the
Bronx with other members of Community Action for Safe Apartments
(CASA) to participate in the rally. "We can't afford to go
anywhere else," said James McNill, a residents of Harlem’s
Audubon Apartments. "We were born here, we have been living
here, and we want to stay here," added Diane Whitted, a fellow
Audubon resident.
successful effort to preserve Ennis Francis Houses in Harlem.
She got straight to the crux of the problem when she commented,
"We're up against the fact that the land on which our homes are
built is literally a gold mine. It is valuable property. And,"
she continued, "it is valuable because we made it valuable. We
spun the gold. We fought the drug dealers and the crime; we
organized community cleanups."
Minerva
de Jesus (left), a resident of West Farms, spoke about her
experiences working to save her own home, as well as those of
other buildings in the South Bronx that have opted out of the
Section 8 program in favor of the voucher system. "Many tenants
have been told that they don’t qualify for vouchers for some
reason," she stated. "Others are losing their apartments because
they’re not able to pay the 30% and 40% rate hikes. It is
imperative that we – the community and elected officials – take
the necessary steps to make sure that these apartments remain
affordable to everyone."
Two
elected officials who are ready to do just that are Council
Members Christine Quinn (left) and David Weprin (below). Quinn
harshly criticized mayoral candidates who utter hollow
statements about preserving housing – all the while planning to
vote against the Tenant Empowerment Act, a local law passed by
the City Council last August giving tenants and not-for-profits
the right to purchase Section 8 developments at risk of opting
out of the program.
David
Weprin, Chair of the City Council’s Finance Committee, has
clearly put the City’s money where his mouth is. He spoke about
the hundreds of millions of dollars that the City Council
budgeted to preserve affordable housing and to protect tenants
in Section 8 buildings. "We cannot give in to the landlords that
are just looking to make a profit at the expense of tenants," he
declared. "I'm here to tell you that I will be with you each and
every step of the way to pass whatever laws are necessary, to
preserve existing laws, and to put even more money into the
capital budget for affordable housing."
