The administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently launched the Tenant Protection Cabinet, a multi-agency collaboration to better serve renters in New York City by developing policies to support tenants and ensure safer, fairer housing conditions.
“Every day, New Yorkers work hard to build a better future for themselves, their kids and their families, but we cannot have a truly livable city with a housing and affordability crisis,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The data is clear: the demand to live in our city is far outpacing our ability to build housing, but we will not accept a city where renters are priced out of a chance to build their future."
The Tenant Protection Cabinet (TPC) will facilitate better information sharing and coordination amongst agencies to: ensure that tenants are connected to the same resources regardless of the agency they contact; focus attention on underutilized tenant services to match New Yorkers with the supports they need; and use data strategically to identify and target areas of highest need, and track progress towards more stable housing for tenants.
The launch of cabinet comes at a time of great urgency, following last month’s release of the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey that found disparity in housing quality by race of heads of household. The survey found that 23% of Black and 20% of Hispanic New Yorkers reported three or more problems with their housing, compared to 9% among those households headed by both a white New Yorker or Asian New Yorker. TPC aims to bolster resources and develop tenant supportive policies to ensure they are living in safe, fair housing conditions, regardless of race or income.
“As a city with millions of tenants, it is crucial that New York City’s leaders come together to provide safe and stable housing for our renters,” said Executive Director Leila Bozorg. “This year, rents are high and our rental vacancy rate is at its lowest, making this a particularly hard time to find and stay in affordable, high-quality housing. As we continue to advocate in Albany for tools that allow us to build more homes, the Tenant Protection Cabinet will be working hard to develop policies and implement solutions that make it easier for tenants to navigate services and access the important supports the city offers."
