Good Old Lower East Side

SECTION 8 TENANTS WIN HOUSING

Nov 21, 2000

In May of 1999, Lower East Side Phase One received a notice from the property owner, William Hubbard. Notifying the tenants that on October 27, 2000 their project based Section 8 contract was due to expire and that he might not renew the contract. This left lots of tenants worried and afraid of losing their homes. Many of the tenants have been in the buildings for the last twenty years. Tenants and Neighbors sent Yoland Cadore to our buildings to inform us of what we could do to put pressure on the landlord to renew the contract. First, we formed a tenant association and then we worked with GOLES and involved elected officials Council Member Margarita Lopez and Congress Member Nydia Velazquez. We had lots of planning and strategy meetings, including trips to Albany and Washington, DC to help us with our cause to save our affordable housing.

Many of the tenants worked hard to save their housing. Georgina Rivera, Eleanor Daly, Maizie Torres, Kelly Lau and others led the fight.

After all the hard work, the tenants had a meeting with Mr. Hubbard on September 6, 2000 who informed them that he intends to renew the contract for five years in the mark up to market program. That has brought to the tenants of Lower East Side Phase One a sigh of relief. But our struggle is not over, for what happens in five years no one knows. We must continue to fight to save our affordable housing as well as for affordable housing all across the city.