Esther Gowrie, a C.N.A. at Jewish Home Lifecare in Manhattan, has lived in her apartment in Chelsea for nearly 30 years. If legislators don’t act to strengthen rent laws by June 15, she could be could be one of the millions of New York City tenants who lose their rent protections under rent stabilization laws . On March 14, Gowrie joined hundreds of tenants at a downtown Manhattan rally to demand stronger rent laws in New York City. The continued weakening of tenant laws has created an affordability crisis that disproportionally affects working class and poor New Yorkers. On May 14, 1199SEIU joined Real Rent Reform, NY Communities for Change and the Alliance for Tenant Power at Foley Square in New York City to demand stronger rent laws. Thousands of tenants, advocates and elected officials gathered to make their voice heard. Speakers at the Foley Square rally included Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, newly elected Assemblywoman Diana Richardson among others. Afterwards a spirited crowd marched over the Brooklyn Bridge, carrying signs and banners calling on officials to keep New York City affordable for workers and their families.



“I am an advocate and I find housing is really expensive, especially in my neighborhood,” said Ms. Gowrie. “My rent is stabilized but it’s starting to not be so affordable any more. Rent still goes up and everything else, like food and transportation. You used to be able to get a five-year lease to keep things stable but now it’s only one or two years. In the next couple of years, I might not be able to afford to live there.”



There are 1.1 million units of rent-regulated housing and 2.5 million tenants who live in rent-regulated housing. Over 70,000 1199 not strengthen the rent protections this year, it could spell the end of rent regulation within 20 years. The City has already lost hundreds of thousands of affordable rent-regulated units since the last time the law was renewed.





“My neighborhood used be a very friendly and a very diverse neighborhood," said Ms. Gowrie. “As I look at my community, it’s changing. Not only are people going but it’s no longer a community. A lot of the businesses I knew have gone. There aren’t a lot of small businesses anymore. It’s hard to even go shopping, everything is so expensive. It’s more for the elite now, not for middle or working class people.”



445,000 of affected tenants in NYC are categorized as poor or low-income families. As a result of vacancy deregulation and coop conversions, the largest source of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income tenants are concentrated in rapidly gentrifying communities of color. Loopholes in the rent laws create economic incentives to harass tenants out of their long-term homes so the rents will hit the deregulation threshold and become market-rate.



The fight continues on June 9th when housing activists head to Albany for a Lobby Day where they’ll urge legislators to act quickly to strengthen laws that protect tenants.