WHEREAS, the share of Americans who rent their homes is at a 20-year-high and expected to rise, according to the Urban Institute, and people in middle-income, two-earner households are increasingly paying unsustainable rents; and
WHEREAS, the average rent in Manhattan is well over $4,000 a month; and the median rent for the city is $3,100 for a one-bedroom apartment; and
WHEREAS, our teachers with five-years’ experience and a master’s degree could be expected to spend more than 50 percent of his income after taxes on rent; and our paraprofessionals are priced out of rentals in this range; and
WHEREAS, the lack of affordable housing in New York City is reaching a crisis point, with the city having lost 150,000 rent-regulated apartments in the past 10 years and with 30 percent of our city’s renters paying more than 50 percent of income toward rent; and
WHEREAS, New York City is increasingly unaffordable for low-income families, which means more of our city’s schoolchildren could become homeless; and
WHEREAS, during the 2013-14 school year, about 75,000, or seven percent, of New York City’s public school students lived in homeless shelters or the home of a friend or family member; and
WHEREAS, 83 percent of New York City public schools had some homeless students enrolled during this same school year; and
WHEREAS, New York City’s future as a city of vibrant, diverse neighborhoods is at risk if only the wealthy can afford to rent or own homes there; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the UFT supports policy measures to increase affordable housing in New York City including, but not limited to:
- Strengthening state laws to protect New York City tenants and increase the pool of apartments that are rent-stabilized, including by ending the automatic 20 percent rent increase when a rent-regulated apartment changes tenants; and
- Supporting Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to create 200,000 units of low and middle-income affordable housing by 2024.