Sammy Abinder (Our Bronx) on COPA-eligible building data and Bronx foreclosures

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your testimony.

Thank you so much to this panel.

Oh, sorry.

Yes, go ahead.

Thank you.

My name is Sammy Abinder.

I'm a research and data analyst at our RONCS.

I'm grateful to testify today about the impact that the Safer Homes Act and COPA would have in preserving safe, affordable, and dignified housing for all New Yorkers.

In the Bronx, tenants in some of the most physically and financially distressed buildings have been raising the alarm for years.

The Safer Homes Act can be a critical break in the cycle of inadequate enforcement and ongoing neglect that these tenants face.

To take one example, nearly 200 buildings in the Bronx have been selected for HPD's Alternative Enforcement Program more than once since the program started.

These repeat AEP offenders show that in many cases the current standard to be released from enforcement is too low.

The Safer Homes Act would create real accountability where it matters most.

Either owners can work with the city and tenants to guarantee their rights are met, or if not, their property can be transferred to someone who will.

As large investors move quickly to buy up distressed buildings, only to keep them in bad condition and leverage them for future profit, COPA would give responsible, community-driven organizations the support they need to step in and stabilize neighborhoods.

In your district, Chair Sanchez, over a third of COPA-eligible buildings have been sold in the last 10 years.

years, including seven buildings that have been sold more than once.

This turnover shows that speculation drives our real estate market, rather than an end goal of New Yorkers having a safe place to live.

As owners have squeezed what they can from the rent rolls every month, over a thousand families across these buildings have had to deal with unhealthy homes, deferred maintenance, and landlord harassment.

COPA could change that.

At 108 Field Place, where tenants have been organizing with our Bronx this year, some of whom are also testifying today, their building has faced foreclosure, and tenants have had to deal with the limbo of unaccountability that comes with that process.

Multifamily foreclosure filings are on the rise in the Bronx.

There have been 148 five-plus unit properties with filings in the first nine months of 2026, nearly half that of the previous three years combined.

Of those 148, there are 33 that would have been subject to COPA and through organizing and negotiation with the current distressed owner might instead be put on track to stabilization with a preservation purchaser.

The City Council must pass COPA and the Safer Homes Act as soon as possible.

Thank you.

All right.

For real this time.

Thank you so much to this panel.

Appreciate it.

Next up is Kevin Wolf, Rebecca Poole, Lucas Tatarski, and Jacob Schneider.