Patrice Joseph believed she was singled out when she complained about cigarette smoke and plumbing problems at the homeless shelter where she and her teenage son and daughter lived in Jamaica, Queens.
Within days last month, the family was moved to a shelter in the Bronx. Ms. Joseph, who had two jobs, said she lost a position at a Queens pharmaceutical manufacturing company because she was often late for work or absent.
The plight of renters, especially rent-regulated ones, has long been part of New York City lore — steep rent hikes, shoddy maintenance, fear of being blacklisted and evicted, and a general sense of powerlessness against a faceless landlord.
But come next week, a lot could change.
The state Senate and Assembly’s landmark deal on New York’s rent regulations, which will go before a final vote on Friday, is expected to introduce a new normal for the 2.4 million tenants in the city’s rent-regulated system: After decades of living under landlord-friendly rules like vacancy decontrol and renovation increases, the city’s rent-regulated tenants are poised to become newly empowered, armed with more financial security due to the elimination of sharp rent hikes and increased accountability for landlords.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Liz Cole has lived and worked in New York City for most of her adult life.
She says the realities of aging in the city, being her own support system, and living on a fixed income is stressful.
“The homelessness issue is very frightening,” the 69-year-old said.
The most recent statistics show the number of homeless seniors in New York City has more than tripled over the last decade.
In 2007, there were 822 people over the age of 65 who were homeless in the city. That number jumped to more than 2,000 in 2017.