Older New Yorkers Demand (and Need) Rent Reforms
No one needs more convincing
that living in New
York City is expensive – especially
when it comes to
rent. We need to do something
about it, and with
current rent laws about to
expire, now’s the time.
Older New Yorkers
may know better than anyone
about the struggles
and worries of rising rent
costs. Many live on fixed
incomes and face escalating
expenses for health
care, utilities and food,
while many pay for costs to
care for loved ones.
Our older residents are
often one health or family
crisis away from breaking
the bank. As it is, a study
by the Center for an Urban
Future commissioned by
AARP found that one in
five older New Yorkers is
living in poverty – up 11
percent during the past decade.
And the number of New
York City residents aged 65
and over grew twelve times
faster than the city’s under
65 population over the
past decade, with a record
1.24 million adults aged 65
and over now living in the
five boroughs.
One source of stability
– and comfort – for many
older New Yorkers is their
home and their community.
It’s not unusual for seniors
to live in their apartment
and community for 20, 30,
even 40 years or more.
Their friendships and
support systems, shop owners
and pharmacists, and
their doctors are in the
community. They attend
local senior centers for allimportant
COURIER L 24 IFE, JUNE 14–20, 2019 M BR B G
socialization
– and often meals. They
have routines crucial to
people as they age.
But seniors face the
risk of losing their apartments
to rising rent costs.
Current loopholes allow
landlords to convert rent
regulated units to market
rate apartments or game
the system - at the expense
of tenants - for their own financial
gain.
Many older New Yorkers
already report having trouble
paying their rent; 54%
of city voters ages 50-plus
– including 67% of Hispanics
- said affordable housing
was a major concern,
according to a 2014 AARP
survey - far surpassing
other concerns.
As the City’s population
continues to age, affordable
housing concerns are likely
to grow. We need to ensure
safe, quality and affordable
housing for older New Yorkers
now and in the future. A
strong rent-regulated housing
program is essential to
this goal. Over two million
households in NYC live in
rental housing and over
one million households live
in rent-regulated or rentcontrolled
apartments.
We need to ensure more
than the renewal of existing
state rent laws; we need
the Governor and state legislature
to work together
to enact comprehensive reforms.
AARP supports three
basic principles: ending
high-rent vacancy decontrol,
restoring preferential
rent protections, and
ensuring the Vacancy Allowance,
Major Capital Improvements
and Individual
Apartment Improvements
initiatives protect tenants
while allowing landlords to
address problems.
This is our opportunity
to ensure that New
York does not lose affordable
housing options for
our seniors – and all our
residents. The seniors who
have built our communities
deserve as much.
Marilyn McMichael and
Debra Robles have lived in
their same rent regulated
apartments in New York
City for 30 and 20 years,
respectively, and are active
AARP advocates for rent reforms.
Beth Finkel is AARP
New York State Director.
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
They’re not gonna take it!
More than 50 demonstrators
gathered outside the
home of Sen. Chuck Schumer
(D-NY) near Prospect Park
on June 9 at a youth-oriented
protest to demand that the
lawmaker sign the ambitious
Green New Deal, according to
one parent who attended the
event with his two children.
“This was a very explicit
request to sign onto the
Green New Deal, which he
has not done,” said Stephan
von Muehlen.
Von Muehlen brought his
sons Conrad and Sheppard,
who wrote letters to New
York’s senior senator pleading
for action on climate
change.
“I worked on a letter with
Conrad. It basically said that
climate change is scary,” said
von Muehlen. “They’re the
ones that are going to have to
live with the consequences if
we don’t act.”
Another protester said the
youth-centric protest was necessary
to capture the legislator’s
attention, and put the climate
problem in perspective.
“He’s made a lot of refer-
YOUTHFUL ENERGY: Protesters sing (left) at a climate-action demonstration
outside Sen. Schumer’s house in Park Slope. A father-and-son
duo drop a letter to the senator. Photo by Caroline Ourso
A plea for change
ences lately to his grandkids,
and how they are going to inherit
the environment we’ve
made,” said Robert Wood. “So
it was important to have kids
deliver this message to him.”
The young climate warriors
hope their message will
fi nally reach the Democratic
Senate leader, who has yet to
show enthusiastic support
for the ambitious Green New
Deal resolution — which is
sponsored by Queens Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez.
“The time for coming together
and compromising is
kind-of over. And the younger
folks recognize it,” said von
Muehlen.