Good Old Lower East Side

TENANT UNION AT CHARAS

May 03, 2001

Over 50 leaders of the GOLES Tenants Union came together on March 29 in the Gallery Space at Charas/El bohio on a rain soaked evening to plan an organizing agenda for coming spring and summer months. The leaders were representing tenant associations in privately owned, Section 8 and Public Housing buildings. The meeting was kicked off by the music of Ray Santiago y Su Conjuncto Musical. The group?’s Salsa roots music filled the room and was met with big smiles and warm feelings by everyone as they walked in.

Marie Christopher, a tenant leader living in Project Based Section 8 building and the chairperson for the meeting, began the session by engaging the members in a focussed discussion on how and why the underlying issues of gentrification and displacement were threatening all of the constituencies represented in the meeting. She urged the leadership to continue the organizing process of bringing tenants together to achieve real power to combat the aggressive displacement that was overtaking the Lower East Side. Marie Christopher spoke about the concerns facing tenants living in Project-Based Section 8. Living with the fear that landlords could opt out of the subsidy program, tenants have been balancing their daily lives with the fight to save their homes. As Ms. Christopher pointed out, if landlords decide to opt out of the program, residents will be hardpressed to find adequate housing with transfer vouchers. The problems of finding housing with the vouchers are complex. Many tenants hope to secure housing in their neighborhoods while still paying a rent that they can afford?— which is difficult. Add to this the need to find the apartment within the tight the time frame in which any transfer can be completed and it becomes an impossible task.

Ms. Sandra Rutherford, a steering committee member and a specialist on rent stabilization laws, reviewed New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal?’s New Rent Stabilization Code that went into effect in December 2000. She summarized the code emphasizing the weakening of the laws in favor of the landlords and how important it was to keep up the legislative pressure on the politicians to strengthen the laws instead of eliminating them. (See insert prepared by LSNY on summary of changes).

GOLES staff member Damarias Reyes gave a report on the Public Housing Residents Of the Lower East Side organization. PHROLES is working to implement Section 3, the federal program stating that public housing residents should be provided opportunities for jobs when modernization work is being done.

Ms. Reyes reported on a February 15 meeting where a panel met with NYCHA residents to explore the possibilities and potentials of securing work contracts. Included on the panel were Maria Bottina representing Congressmember Nydia Velazquez, Hagen Maroney of New York State Senator Martin Connors' office and Council Member Margarita Lopez. Ms. Reyes also spoke about the controversial community service requirement that NYCHA mandates and organizing opposition against that, as well as organizing against the changes in the NYCHA?’s admissions criteria in favor of higher income tenants.

Maizie Torres, a tenant leader in the Project based Section 8 Lower East Side Phase One and Two Tenant?’s Association, outlined the dilemma of this Section 8 housing program. A letter was sent to the Lower East Side 2 residents by their management company on January 27, 2002 , the expiration date of the contract, stating that they are considering not renewing the contract.. The tenants have organized to negotiate a renewal of the Project Based Section 8 contract. Ms. Torres outlined the campaign tactics and timeline and asked for support from rent stabilized and public housing tenant leaders and offered support for their struggles.

Deborah Gonzalez, another Project Based Section 8 tenant leader with the 10 Stanton Tenant Association, spoke about their campaign to defeat Metropolitan Transportation Authority?’s (MTA) plan to dig a huge hole right next to their building as part of expansion of a fan plant system. She explained how the construction could jeopardize the structure of the building, putting the building at risk of collapsing. ?“We have informed the MTA that this project can harm us but, so far, they have showed no signs of backing off. I guess we can expect this sort of institutional indifference and arrogance from the MTA. We are not going to give up: there are going to be more demonstrations, more pressure on the politicians and we will be filing a lawsuit to stop this construction from taking place under our building and to have it moved to an alternative location.

Marie Christopher ended the meeting by urging members to participate in the various committees of the union; rent stabilization; project based Section 8, public housing committee and the Loisaida Vocie. For more information on the committees and the tenant union, please call On Davis, GOLES Tenant Union organizer at 212 533 2541.