Todd Baker (Our Bronx) on COPA and Safer Homes Act for Bronx buildings
Baker describes witnessing landlords abandoning tenants to mold and cold for profit, and how Our Bronx has successfully intervened in buildings like 2205 Davidson Avenue using community land trust models. He urges passage of both COPA and the Safer Homes Act.
And whoever is ready.
It's your baby.
Good afternoon.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
My name is Todd Baker.
I live in Kingsbridge and I work for Our Bronx, where I support our housing justice and community development work.
In that role, I have witnessed the very avoidable harm being done to New Yorkers under our current housing and code enforcement system, most egregiously to communities of color, to seniors whose social infrastructure has been eroded by gentrification and displacement,
and to those who face language or immigration barriers.
I work in buildings where landlords have made a calculated decision to abandon their tenants to mold and to cold because it was more profitable for them to do so.
Meanwhile, though they are important and they're staffed by hardworking public servants, current enforcement tools like 311 or the alternative enforcement and underlying condition programs fall short.
I know from firsthand experience that there's a better option out there for many of these tenants.
We have been able to intervene in some of these buildings, like we did with your support, at 2205 Davidson Avenue, or we're doing at 785 East Tremont Avenue, where we are breaking this vicious cycle.
of deteriorating conditions and rising rents.
With the help of experienced development partners, with council members, with HPD, with Neighborhood Restore, with legal services partners, with stakeholders who have a demonstrated commitment to providing high quality affordable housing,
we have put these buildings on a pathway to a total renovation and to be kept permanently affordable through the Bronx Community Land Trust.
This is the sort of transformative change that COPA and Safer Homes could make possible for many more households in dire need.
Both bills have been thoughtfully structured to target the buildings where intervention is most needed and would be most impactful.
Both would leverage the experience of trusted developers, CDCs, and community land trusts to help meet the urgent need to preserve affordable housing.
I urge the council to pass both as soon as possible.
Thank you.