Rinox Amal (Chaya CDC) on tenant conditions and COPA
Amal describes a tenant named Enrique trapped in his building by a broken elevator, tenants who organized, called the city, went to court, and withheld rent but still face neglect. He argues COPA would give tenants a real chance to shape what happens when buildings are sold.
Thank you, Chair Sanchez and this committee for allowing me to testify in support of COPA.
My name is Rinox Amal.
I'm a lifelong Jackson Heights resident and a communications and neighborhood development associate at Chaya CDC.
I work with Queens residents fighting for stable, affordable, community-controlled housing.
At Chaya, our organizers have been organizing tenants in Jamaica.
For years, families in multiple buildings have lived with mold, rodents, leaks, unreliable heat and hot water, and elevators that repeatedly break down.
One resident, Enrique, has had to cancel appointments and miss time with his family because he cannot safely climb the stairs when the elevator fails.
Imagine being trapped inside your own home, not just because of your health, because the person responsible for your building refuses to keep it safe.
These tenants have done everything they were supposed to do.
They organized.
They called the city.
They went to court.
They withheld rent.
Withheld rent.
Still, the neglect continues.
Then there are situations where a building goes under foreclosure, potentially changing ownership.
After years of fighting simply to live with dignity, these families could still be shut out of the decision about who owns their homes next.
As an organization, we, along with our partners and the
Tenants have ensured that three buildings that were going under foreclosure will not continue to be owned by the same predatory landlord.
But we have no guarantee that the next landlord will be any better.
When we talk about housing, we are not just talking about properties and transactions.
We are talking about whether an older resident can make it to an appointment, whether a parent can put their child to bed without worrying about mold, whether a family can feel secure or must constantly wonder if the next landlord will force them out.
This is why COPA matters.
It would give qualified, mission-driven nonprofits an opportunity to purchase covered buildings before they were sold in the open market.
Tenants could partner with a community land trust to make repairs, preserve affordability, and create housing that is accountable to them.
Home should mean safety.
It should mean stability.
It should mean knowing that your family will still have a place in the community you help build.
Too often, tenants are the last to know and the first to suffer when their buildings are sold.
COPA gives them a real chance to shape what happens next.
No one should have to fight this hard just to feel at home safe.
I urge the council to pass COPA.
Thank you.