NY lawmakers must act to halt evictions as Covid-19 surges (Commentary)
Housing advocates demonstrate outside the building which houses New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, in New York. The activists were demanding immediate safe and stable housing for all the people of New York and that the residential eviction moratorium be extended. AP
By Palmer Harvey
This commentary was originally published on Syracuse.com.
The following commentary was submitted by Palmer Harvey, founder of Syracuse Tenants Union, on behalf of the Workers’ Center of Central New York, Central New York Poor People’s Campaign, Syracuse Democratic Socialists of America Mutual Aid Committee, Syracuse Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Syracuse Peace Council.
During this pandemic, an influx of tenants who are at-risk of eviction have contacted Syracuse Tenants Union in need of assistance. As Covid-19 cases surge, it is both a moral failure and a public health threat for families to lose their homes during this time. Meanwhile, the New York state Legislature remains on break until the new year. It is unconscionable for our elected officials to do so little while so many are suffering.
Although Gov. Andrew Cuomo has branded many of his executive orders as “eviction moratoriums,” none have fully halted evictions. Two hundred thousand New York families across the state are currently in eviction court and 33,000 cases have been filed since June. The CDC’s “eviction moratorium” and the New York state Tenant Safe Harbor Act only protect tenants who can prove they have been financially impacted by Covid-19, and both sets of protections will expire at the end of 2020.
Additionally, tenants who are current on their rent can still be evicted for no cause. Although there is some funding for families in need of rent relief, there is a long waitlist, it is heavily means-tested and funds are limited. Countless New Yorkers find themselves suffocating under a growing mountain of debt and stress, not knowing from one day to the next when the bill will come due, while lawmakers postpone the crisis rather than addressing it.
The lack of clarity and a patchwork of policies has led to confusion across the state, with individual county sheriff’s offices ultimately making the decision about whether evictions should proceed. In Rochester and Albany, sheriff’s offices have been executing active warrants since the expiration of the stronger statewide eviction moratorium on Oct.1. Although it appears marshals at the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department are not executing evictions until Jan. 1, 2021, virtual housing court is open, and a wave of evictions are expected to hit the city at the start of the new year.
This could be catastrophic for our region. A recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA, UCSF, Johns Hopkins University, Boston University and Wake Forest School of Law found that evictions caused as many as 433,700 Covid-19 cases and 10,700 additional deaths nationwide between March and September.
However, it is not too late for our elected officials to act and protect the livelihoods of ourselves and our neighbors. Our local, state, and federal officials all have the power to halt evictions in Onondaga County.
Additionally, we urge our state officials to support statewide bills to house the homeless during the pandemic through a housing voucher access program (S7628A/A9657) and canceling the rent (S8802/A10826). Canceling the rent and creating a hardship fund for small landlords in need would shift the burden from tenants to corporations to prove financial need and would be a more effective use of funds than providing housing vouchers to all tenants in need. Also, coupled with the Mark to Market Billionaire Tax (S08277/A10414) to create a fund for excluded workers, legislators have the power and the resources to protect our communities from widespread economic desperation. It is time we tax those making money off of a pandemic to help those who are suffering due to it. We are thankful for the support of our state representatives who have signed onto some of these bills and urge them to support all of them.
We don’t know much about the future, but we know one thing: Covid-19 will still be here and no one should have to worry about having a roof over their head during a pandemic. If you are interested in helping protect either yourself or your neighbors at-risk of eviction, please reach out to syrtenantsunion@gmail.com.