[[link removed]]Dear John,



If our current dystopian present wasn’t bad enough already, let me introduce you to Civvl: a gig economy company advertising freelance work helping to evict people from their homes [[link removed]] . They tout the benefits of “flexible hours” for the “fastest money-making gig during COVID-19,” preying on the desperation of unemployed people to recruit them into temporary, precarious, work-without-benefits evicting other desperate people from their homes during a pandemic. It’s a tragically perfect distillation of the way the pandemic has accelerated the gaping holes in our social safety net -- in our workplaces, and in our homes.

For the moment, a patchwork of ever-shifting eviction moratoriums are the thin line between tens of millions of people losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic. Each month, as rent day approaches, tenants are left scrambling to try to negotiate with landlords and navigate a shifting landscape of expiring and limited moratorium orders to determine if they can stay in their homes.

In New York, where nearly one-in-five people are unemployed, it's estimated that 25% of renters haven’t been able to pay their full rent. On October 1st, the rent is due again, and the latest eviction moratorium is set to expire.

Housing instability is devastating to the physical and mental health, education, and job prospects of families in normal times -- and was already an epidemic, as Matthew Desmond’s Eviction Lab [[link removed]] makes so powerfully clear. Now, the risk of a massive wave of evictions in the middle of a pandemic is truly catastrophic. Families that have to turn to shelters or double up in crowded apartments with relatives will risk spreading the virus, while disrupting their already disrupted education and employment. And the brunt of these layered crises will fall on black and brown, low income communities, and especially on children (as the recent agonizing “Children of the Shadows” article in the NYT Magazine made agonizingly clear; if you missed it, read [[link removed]] or listen [[link removed]] to it).

The federal government should be stepping up here, but it’s not. The Senate is rushing to confirm a new Supreme Court nominee, but has still not moved forward pandemic relief legislation with significant funding for rental and mortgage assistance and a universal eviction moratorium (or even just with pandemic unemployment assistance). Instead the Centers for Disease Control has issued a limited ban on evictions through the end of 2020, though the limited order [[link removed]] has strict requirements that may exclude many and will leave renters on the hook for rent bills that continue to pile up.

Here in New York, our current patchwork of protections [[link removed]] held together by the courts is much stronger and applies more broadly -- but those protections are set to expire on October 1st.

Housing advocates are pushing for three key bills in Albany: Senator Salazar’s bill to cancel rent for tenants made unable to pay by the Covid-19 crisis and provide relief to small landlords, Senator Zellnor Myrie’s bill to extend a moratorium on evictions until 1 year after the end of this crisis, and another to expand housing vouchers. You can join them in reaching out to your legislators here [[link removed]] or join the march [[link removed]] on October 1.

The rent crisis isn’t just for residential tenants either. Recent surveys have shown that 87% of restaurants have not been able to pay their full rent, and many more small businesses are struggling to get through the next month. The commercial eviction moratorium (which is separate from the patchwork of court and state orders protecting residential tenants for the time being) was slated to expire on Monday, but was extended until October 20th [[link removed]] . I’m working with State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Yuh-line Niou and Councilmember Keith Powers on a proposal to create a recovery lease program [[link removed]] to help address past due rent for small businesses and help them secure long-term affordable leases. It's a good proposal, and I think we can make it happen, but we need to act quickly.

In the last few weeks, there’s been a raging debate over how and where the City houses the tens of thousands of people who have already lost their homes. While the media understandably focused on the mayor’s caving to NIMBYism of some Upper West Side residents, closer to home the first of two Win shelters opened on 4th Avenue without incident or protest [[link removed].] , and the second will open soon. I’m grateful for the opportunity to welcome our new neighbors (in a setting far better than any that Prince and Fifi, the family featured in the NYT article, found in their traumatic travels through the shelter system).

Unfortunately, the city’s budget decisions have thrown nonprofit human service providers operating supportive housing and shelters into uncertainty, the mayor cut the “indirect cost rate” nonprofits rely on to survive, the essential workers who operate them are still not being paid a living wage -- all while demand for services are rising. We have let our social safety net wither and contract over the years, and now, when we need it most, the holes are so big local governments can’t fill them on their own.

Housing has always been a major public health issue, and it is only more so during a crisis. The months and years ahead are going to require us to be much more creative and flexible to prevent evictions and expand the availability of truly affordable housing. I’ve proposed [[link removed]] using tools like land banks and community land trusts to convert distressed properties into permanently affordable housing. One especially timely idea is to convert failing hotels into supportive housing [[link removed]] . If we’re going to do that, we’ll have to restore funding cut from the City’s capital budget [[link removed]] , as we’ve been pushing for months. More will undoubtedly be required.

As in so many other areas, it feels utterly grim, leadership is lacking, and it’s easy to despair. But a cascading crisis of evictions and even more homelessness is not inevitable. The choice is ours.

Brad

Updates and Resources

*
Latest
Virus
Data:
In
NYC,
there
were
422
new
cases
identified
yesterday.
We
have
lost
23,785
people
in
NYC
from
the
virus,
including
sadly
5
in
the
last
few
days,
and
246,198
total
cases
have
been
identified
in
the
city.
Currently,
the
7-day
rolling
average
percent
of
tests
that
came
back
positive
citywide
remains
low,
1%
as
of
yesterday,
although
there
were
concerning
upticks
in
6
neighborhoods:
Borough
Park,
Williamsburg,
Midwood,
Flatbush,
Kew
Gardens
and
Far
Rockaway.


*
Census
Timeline
Restored:
A
court
order
last
night
rejected
the
Trump
administration’s
decision
to
cut
the
Census
one
month
short.
We
should
now
have
until
October
31
to
ensure
that
all
New
Yorkers
are
counted.
If
you
have
not
yet,
please
complete
the
Census
at
my2020census.gov
[[link removed]]
and
tell
your
friends
and
family.
If
you
want
to
volunteer
to
call
or
text
New
Yorkers
to
encourage
them
to
fill
it
out,
visit
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Permanent
Outdoor
Dining:
The
Mayor
announced
today
that
the
Open
Restaurants
initiative
will
become
permanent
and
year-round.
More
details,
including
guidance
on
heat
lamps
should
be
coming
soon.


*
Grab
and
Go
Food
at
Schools:
As
school
buildings
re
open,
grab
and
go
meals
for
children
and
adults
will
continue,
on
a
different
schedule:
Students
learning
in
class
will
get
breakfast
and
lunch
in
the
building,
and
those
learning
remotely
can
pick
up
meals
from
9
a.m.
until
noon
all
week
long
at
whatever
school
is
most
convenient
for
them.
Adults
in
need
will
be
able
to
get
their
meals
after
school,
between
3
and
5
p.m.


*
Get
Ready
to
Vote:
You
have
until
October
9
to
register
or
update
your
registration
if
you’ve
moved.
Visit
voting.nyc
[[link removed]]
for
guidance
on
how
to
register.
If
you
think
you
are
registered,
check
your
registration
[[link removed]]
to
make
sure
nothing
has
changed.
Absentee
ballots
are
starting
to
be
mailed
out,
you
can
request
yours
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Sign
Up
to
be
a
Poll
Worker:
The
New
York
City
Board
of
Elections
is
actively
seeking
poll
workers
for
the
upcoming
election.
You
can
earn
up
to
$2,800
by
working
up
to
ten
days
during
early
voting
and
on
Election
Day,
and
a
new
state
order
ensures
that
working
as
a
poll
worker
will
not
affect
your
unemployment
benefits.
To
apply
to
be
a
poll
worker,
visit
here.
[[link removed]]


*
Get
a
Flu
Shot:
Getting
the
seasonal
flu
shot
this
year
is
more
important
than
ever
to
protect
each
other.
Flu
shots
are
available
at
most
drug
stores
or
Health
and
Hospitals
sites,
more
info
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Repurposing
Bags:
We
are
still
collecting
Fresh
Direct
and
other
reusable
bags
for
use
by
emergency
food
providers.
You
can
drop
bags
off
at
the
following
sites
and
times.

*
Park
Slope:
256
13th
St,
M-F,
9
AM
to
6
PM


*
Carroll
Gardens:
71
3rd
Pl,
M-F,
9
AM
to
6
PM


*
Cobble
Hill:
359
Henry
St,
Mon-Wed,
9
AM
to
6
PM


*
Kensington:
3
Avenue
C,
Saturdays
at
4
PM





456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]

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