To:
From: "Tenant"
Subject: Housing Here and Now -- reveals itself
NB - "Housing Here and Now" is essentially Acorn under a different name. I
know of at least three groups listed as part of HH&N who never gave
permission to be listed as part of HH&N. This seems to their method
of operation.
Acorn is being paid by Bruce Ratner to tear down significant chunks
of Prospect Heights. And in turn, Ratner is getting at least $100
million of free money from the state government.
Some groups go along with HH&N simply because on the surface, their
goals sound good. But the Inclusionary Zoning program, like the
421(a) tax abatements, result in a net loss of affordable housing.
But of tenant advocates throughout the city, who has ever heard of
Cloe Tribich? Being a tenant advocate for 20 years, I've never heard
of this person, who is most likely an Acorn operative.
Housing Here and Now draws it's lineage directly from the
Inclusionary Zoning Coalition which is what it was called before it
changed its name. But it comes directly from Housing First, a
landlord/developer and banking group, whose mission was detailed by
Michael Schill of NYU's School of Real Estate. (they even listed
Housing First on their web site until recently when it mysteriously
disappeared). Housing First also counts as its members the Rent
Stabilization Association (RSA, the landlord group headed by Joe
Strasberg).
Schill was the author of the housing plan adopted by Rudy Giuliani
and Peter Vallone (neither were friends to tenants) that called by
tearing down large swaths of the city, as well as weakening
environmental and rent stabilization laws. Much of it was adopted by
Bloomberg with implementation by HPD Commissioner Shaun Donovan.
So with groups like Housing Here and Now, who needs enemies?
- Tenant
-------------------------------------------------
Queens Getting Even Harder To Afford
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1151011279.html
By ANDREW MOESEL
In the last three years, Queens has turned from the most affordable
borough into one of the most expensive, according to a new report
from New York University.
The report, commissioned by the Furman Center for Real Estate and
Urban Policy, measured the average income of borough residents and
compared it to prices they are paying toward their rent and
mortgages. It found a consistent pattern that Queens residents are
paying more for housing while earning less.
In 2002, rent payments burdened Queens tenants less than residents in
any borough, accounting for only 27.4 percent of their total income.
By last year, that rent burden had increased to 31.7 percent of
resident's income, second only to Manhattan, the report said.
During the same period, the average market price for a unit in a 2-4
family house rose from $173,255 to $230,000, also the second most
expensive in the City. For a one family building, the average market
price increased to $388,000, up almost $100,000 from three years ago.
These increases have happened while the median income for Queens
residents has declined, dropping from $48,162 to $45,000, the report
said. The conflicting trends have led more residents to take on
expensive debt and live in less desirable conditions, officials said.
Cloe Tribich, a spokeswoman for Housing Here and Now, an affordable
housing advocacy group, said that as the market has grown more
competitive, people increasingly are forced to live in lower quality
housing. The NYC report ranked Queens the most crowded borough and
the second worst in terms of overall housing quality.
"There has to be something going on in the market to pressure people
to live in the conditions they are now living in," Tribich said. "Our
group is working with banks and landlords to make sure that quality,
affordable housing can still be a realistic possibility in New York
City."
Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), along with other elected
officials, has attempted to create more affordable housing by calling
on developers to include cheaper units in their new buildings. Gioia
fears that New York could lose its middle class as housing grows more
and more expensive, making it lose the character that has defined it.
"This study confirms what I've been saying for years," Gioia said,
"that until you are wealthy, it's very expensive, and in some cases
too expensive, to buy a home in New York City."
Some believe market forces are not the only factor driving up real
estate prices. In the last 10 years, the government has weakened rent
stabilization laws, allowing landlords to raise rents dramatically,
according to Bob Katz, a lawyer for Queens League of United Tenants,
a group that lobbies for tenants rights.
The majority of long-term Queens residents are senior citizens living
on fixed incomes, Katz said, making hikes in their rent an enormous
burden on their living standards. Unlike young couples that often
flee to the suburbs for cheaper housing, these older residents are
forced to stick it out, Katz said.
"They have to make a choice: this month it's the food or the rent,"
Katz said. "We have plenty of seniors eating cat food, and I'm
totally serious about that."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants
TenantNet(tm): http://tenant.net
email: tenant@tenant.net
Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
activists and is not considered legal advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment