December 10, 2024

Road To Good Cause Campaign Scores 11 Victories Across Upstate New York

As the end of the year approaches, local officials in the Local Progress network are celebrating the success of their statewide campaign for Good Cause. Launched in coordination with Housing Justice for All, this campaign allied local elected officials and tenant leaders across New York to push localities to opt in to new Good Cause Eviction Protections. To date, 11 upstate localities (Ithaca, Beacon, Albany, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Newburgh, Hudson, New Paltz, Catskill, Nyack, and Fishkill) have successfully passed Good Cause, extending critical renter protections to almost 65,000 tenants across upstate New York. This number could soon reach over 100,000 tenants, with a vote to bring Good Cause to Rochester slated for later this month.

While loopholes in the state bill allow properties hidden in LLCs and higher-end market-rate units to be excluded from Good Cause protections, all 11 localities opted to close these loopholes. By setting exemptions for portfolio size at one and raising the luxury threshold above 300% Fair Market Rent (ten localities set this rate at 345% above Fair Market Rate), the 11 upstate localities expanded renter protections to nearly 40,000 more households than would have been covered under the state’s parameters. This version of the bill, labeled the “Gold Standard” by the coordinated campaign, has extended critical protections to thousands more tenants than would be covered under the state law, demonstrating the strength of the tenant movement and their allied local leaders across the state.

A graphic from Local Progress showing how many households would be covered under the “Gold Standard” version of Good Cause versus the version passed at the state level.

“When the state legislature passed Good Cause in April this year, real estate-backed politicians excluded upstate communities, claiming the policy wouldn’t work outside the five boroughs. But where our state representatives have failed, local leaders across our upstate communities have stepped up to address the housing crisis.” reads a statement from the Local Progress New York State Organizing Committee. “Thanks to our coordinated campaign with Housing Justice for All, 11 localities and tens of thousands of tenants have enshrined critical renter protections into law. We have passed laws stronger than protections at the state level, proving to Albany that upstate renters demand action instead of half measures. We have seen incredible successes this year but won’t rest until we bring Good Cause to every town, village, and city across New York.”

“No matter what town you live in or who your landlord is, tenants in every part of the state deserve housing stability. Good Cause Eviction is already proving to be a powerful tool to put the brakes on rampant price-gouging and empower tenants to demand repairs in their homes — and every municipality in the state should adopt it. We’re grateful to local elected officials who have put Good Cause on the agenda in their towns and cities and partnered with tenants to build support among their colleagues,” said Cea Weaver, Coalition Director of Housing Justice for All. “Governor Hochul may have left upstate renters to fend for themselves, but tenants are organizing everywhere we live to protect our homes.”

The incredible success of this campaign demonstrates the massive blunder of the state legislature in carving out upstate communities from Good Cause. While each locality was buoyed by grassroots support for the critical renter protections, the coordinated campaign from Housing Justice for All and Local Progress provided crucial help. From providing template legislation to logistical assistance, coordination between local elected officials and the powerful tenant movement has expanded critical rental protection to thousands of renters across the state.

With 11 victories tallied this year, the coordinated campaign is looking across the state for future successes, from the village of Croton-On-Hudson to Syracuse. However, the next victory may come before the end of the year with a vote on the Gold Standard version of Good Cause slated in Rochester for December 17 and one in Binghamton on December 18. A triumph in Rochester could nearly double the number of renters across upstate New Yorker protected by Good Cause, expanding these critical renter protections to almost 40,000 additional tenants.

Local Progress Member & Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion is holding a press conference on October 15 for his housing report recommending passage of the Gold Standard version of Good Cause.

A group of tenants in Fishkill celebrating the passage of the Gold Standard of Good Cause in their community on November 20.

“Every year, I’ve heard from many constituents who were anxiously fearing steep rent increases or even a landlord not wanting to renew their lease, which would result in evictions. But this year, we’ve provided working-class New Yorkers in Kingston, and across 11 other localities, with real economic security,” said Kingston Alderwoman Michele Hirsch. “Kingston was one of the first few upstate communities to opt-in to Good Cause last summer, and it’s been amazing to see so many other cities across our state follow suit. It illustrates how we can deliver for working-class New Yorkers when tenants and local leaders work together.”

“Evictions have a profoundly negative impact on children. When a family is forced to find a new home, children’s social lives and education are uprooted, impacting their well-being and development,” said Beacon City Council Member Dan Aymar-Blair. “We’re talking about a child’s future being disrupted for greed. Our good cause eviction law lessens the chances that kids in Beacon will suffer from unpredictable evictions.”

“While legislators in Albany carved out upstate communities from critical renter protections, local leaders in our city were ready to quickly fix their mistakes,” said Albany Common Council Member Gabriella Romero. “I am so proud that Albany was the first city to opt-in to Good Cause this past summer, starting a trend that, so far, ten other cities have followed. We corrected the state legislatures’ mistake by excluding our communities and, through collective organizing, enacted a Good Cause that was even stronger than that passed at the state level. Because of our work, thousands of working-class New Yorkers will have one less headache to deal with.”

“At a time when working families can barely make ends meet, Poughkeepsie’s Good Cause law means more of our neighbors are protected from predatory price hikes and arbitrary evictions than ever before,” said Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Evan Menist. “With corporations posting record profits and owning more land than any time in history, politicians from every party in every community across our state and nation have a duty to make sure regular people aren’t kicked out of their homes or squeezed for every last penny they have. If your community leaders haven’t passed Good Cause protections yet, ask them why. If you don’t like the answer, throw them out.”

“Too many of my neighbors have been forced to leave the area because of limited housing options. This not only harms the families but has also destabilized neighborhoods and left employers struggling to maintain staff,” said Michael Chameides, Columbia County Board Supervisor. “With the new Good Cause tenant protections, working families and seniors are more likely to maintain affordable, safe, and stable housing. That’s good for everyone.”

“Our community needs to work harder to achieve a fairer distribution of power between landlords and tenants, and it is our job as the government to work on local legislation that addresses those power dynamics—in this case opting in to Good Cause Eviction,” said Alexandria Wojcik, Deputy Mayor of the Village of New Paltz. “Giving tenants negotiating rights for engaging with landlords gives us more power as a class of people than we currently have. Our community is only as strong as our most vulnerable members; we are only as housing stable as those who do not have homes because they didn’t have a right to renew or the roadmap Good Cause Eviction could have provided. Good Cause Eviction is only one tool, and it won’t solve all our problems, but I am proud that our work over the past 4+ years to enact this legislation has finally paid off, and we are now equipping our tenants and landlords with another tool for navigating survival during this seemingly endless housing crisis.”

“Our state’s housing crisis affects residents from Long Island to Buffalo and everywhere in between. Tenants are facing rising rents and increasing eviction rates. However, thanks to the Good Cause legislation, tenants in our community will receive new protections that will help them stay in their homes with peace of mind,” said Orange County Legislator Genesis Ramos. “11 different communities across our state, through genuine grassroots efforts, have ensured working-class tenants have the right to stay in their homes and rest easy knowing their rent increases are capped. With every new passage of Good Cause in our state, our tenant movement grows stronger, and we take one step closer to making true housing justice a reality across New York.”

Road To Good Cause Campaign Scores 11 Victories Across Upstate New York

Share:

Sitemap