June 22, 2023, published by Council Member Carlina Rivera and Council Member Lincoln Restler

In the midst of a persistent housing crisis, there are tens of thousands of rent-stabilized apartment units sitting vacant across New York City, as speculators and unscrupulous landlords contribute to scarcity and a lack of affordability. 

In March 2021, The Real Deal reported that landlords had removed over 1,800 apartment listings in Manhattan alone, a number three times higher than in February 2020, and that they were leaving them empty in response to the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act passed in Albany, which was intended to strengthen tenant protections and make the housing market more fair.

…

READ MORE

published June 13, 2023

The coalition Save Our Community Center, CHARAS, former P.S. 64 (SOCCC-64) has embarked on a new letter-writing campaign to urge Mayor Adams to reacquire the long-vacant property on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

Per the campaign site: 

The time is past due for the city to act in the interest of the community and intervene to restore this once-vital community resource to its former use. 

…

READ MORE

By Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky and Christopher Werth, published June 12, 2023

This summer was supposed to mark a major turning point for New York City’s market for Airbnb and other short-term rental sites. But now, hosts and lodgers can expect little change until the end of the peak tourist season.

A new law that requires hosts to register with the city will effectively eliminate thousands of vacation rentals for entire apartments on Airbnb, one of the largest rental platforms, but also on sites such as VRBO and Booking.com.

…

READ MORE

published June 8, 2023

Four years of planning and logistical hurdles culminated with Thursday’s ribbon cutting for the Lower East Side’s newest behavioral health facility

Watch coverage here: https://pix11.com/video/mt-sinais-new-mental-health-center-set-to-open/8719428/

by George Joseph, published June 8, 2023

The City Council passed legislation today requiring the city jail system to provide transgender, gender-nonconforming, non-binary and intersex (TGNCNBI) detainees with services to prepare them for reentry into society — specialized programming that has fallen by the wayside since Mayor Eric Adams took office.

The legislation comes five months after a joint 

…

READ MORE

by Monica Morales, published June 6

NEW YORK (PIX11) — New York City leaders held a rally and oversight hearing on rent-stabilized vacant and neglected units.  

Housing advocates said government agencies have to revamp and speed up the city’s system of placing people in affordable housing. But the city said the solution is creating more affordable housing, and the state needs to help. 

…

READ MORE

Published June 6

Housing advocacy groups gathered in Foley Square to rally against the warehousing issue in New York City that’s keeping affordable apartments off the market. 

Thousands of apartments are reported to be empty, and according to the tenants who live next to them, they’re also neglected by landlords in deteriorating conditions.

Tenants who live next door say they’ve seen mold, bird and rat feces, pipes and walls falling out, heating issues and more.

…

READ MORE

by Courtney Gross, published May 30

It was a quick reaction from the City Council after a devastating report was released by the Rikers federal monitor on Friday evening on the eve of the holiday weekend.

“We’re getting closer and closer to the Department of Correction seeming like they have lost complete control,” Councilwoman Carlina Rivera said.

…

READ MORE

by Matt Katz, published May 30

Former Rikers Island detainees and defense attorneys testified at a City Council hearing on Tuesday that incarcerated people charged with crimes are regularly not being brought to their court appearances, even though ensuring that they get to court is the primary reason why they are held before trial.

Councilmembers said it is unclear exactly how many make their court appearances, since state court data conflicts with stats reported by the Department of Correction, but it appears that appearance rates for incarcerated people are 

…

READ MORE

published May 30, 2023

A City Council hearing is underway on the transportation of those detained on Rikers Island to court.
Council Member Carlina Rivera is the chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice and pointed out that the hearing comes as the latest federal monitor report “reveals violent, life-altering incidents in the last two weeks at Rikers.”

…

READ MORE