Kevin Wolf (Center for NYC Neighborhoods) on COPA and tenant story
Wolf shares the story of Luis, a 30-year Queens tenant whose child faced danger from falling paint chips and whose family went without heat. He argues COPA gives vetted nonprofits a fair opportunity to purchase distressed buildings and keep them safe and affordable, urging passage.
And I'll try to make this quick.
Good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to testify.
My name is Kevin Wolf, and I'm the Deputy Director for Advocacy at the Center for New York City Neighborhoods.
We're one of the largest nonprofit homeowner service organizations in New York City, and we've helped over 200,000 homeowners since we were founded, and each year we save more than 2,000 homeowners from foreclosure and eviction.
I'm here today to speak in strong support of the community opportunity to purchase.
COPA represents one of the biggest opportunities to expand homeownership for tenants that live in our city.
I'm going to tell you a story about a tenant by the name of Luis.
Luis has
has lived in his queen's apartment for over 30 years.
And like all New Yorkers, he has a right to safe and a habitable home.
But his landlord's failure to maintain the building threatened that basic right.
Luis watched his five-year-old face serious danger when paint chips began to fall off the walls and onto the floor, creating a choking hazard.
Leaks caused the kitchen cabinets to rot.
And in the middle of winter, the family went two weeks without heat and hot water, contributing to his child being seriously ill.
When the repairs were done, they were done poorly.
And when they weren't done, the tenant was forced to live with the consequences.
Unfortunately, Luis'experience is not unique.
New York City is facing an affordable housing crisis where more than a third of New Yorkers are rent burdened and speculative investors and predatory landlords can buy buildings, raise rents, displace tenants, or allow properties to deteriorate, all while cashing out.
The city is right that we need to build more housing, but we cannot build our way out of the crisis.
We need to preserve the affordable homes New Yorkers already have.
And that's why COPA matters.
COPA would give vetted nonprofits.
And nonprofit joint ventures the opportunity to purchase certain at-risk multifamily properties.
COPA does not take away the owner's right to sell.
It gives mission-driven organizations a fair opportunity to purchase distressed buildings and keep them safe and affordable.
So on behalf of tenants like Luis, this is my last sentence,
who has spent years fighting for his home.
On behalf of those...
those who work and pay the taxes, raise kids, and play by the rules.
On behalf of hardworking New Yorkers who have made up our forgotten middle class, we urge the City Council to pass COPA.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.
Okay, moving next to Local 79 again, Michael Negron, John Simmons, Jamal Butter, and Alvaro Gonzalez Duran.
Manuel Andrade.
And Nisha Hare.
And Jermaine Johnson.