[COMM-ORG] NYC Metropolitan Council on Housing update

Tue Jan 25 08:06:36 CST 2011

  From: Metropolitan Council on Housing <rachel at metcouncil.net>

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NYS Assembly Hears Testimony on

Expiring Rent Protections

On Thursday, dozens of housing organizations in the Real Rent Reform 
(R3) campaign
testified at a New York State Assembly hearing on the importance of 
renewing and
  strengthening New York City's rent-stabilization and rent-control laws 
- set to
  expire this June. It won't be enough for the Assembly to simply pass a 
renewal
of the rent laws and leave the rest to the Republican-controlled Senate.

Manhattan tenants: To find out if your Assembly Member will draw a hard 
line when
it comes to preserving and expanding tenant protections, come to a:

Town Hall Meeting on

Strengthening Our Rent Laws

All of Manhattan's NY State

Assembly Members are invited,

and so are you!

Thursday, January 27, 2011, 7 - 8:30 pm

Goddard Riverside Community Center

593 Columbus Ave. at West 88th St., Manhattan

Subway:1to 86th St., orB/Cto 86th St.
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Kick-Off Party for the
Met Council on Housing's
2011 Campaigns!
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, 1-4 PM
61 East 4th Street, 4th Floor
Between the Bowery & 2nd Avenue
elevator / wheelchair accessible
By subway:F to 2nd Ave, 6 to Astor Pl., N/R to 8th St.

Learn about our 2011 campaigns, how you can get involved, and party with 
a purpose!

Rent-Law Reform
Tenants' Bill of Rights
Stop the Tenant Blacklist
RSVPs requested, but not required:
call 212-979-6238 or email active at metcouncil.net 
[mailto:active at metcouncil.net]
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to help get the word out about this event, and to 
encourage
members to join these campaigns. We'll be making calls from Met Council 
on Housing's
offices in the evenings starting next week. If you can help, email 
active at metcouncil.net
[mailto:active at metcouncil.net] or call 212-979-6238 x200.
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Housing Notebook:
On Monday, January 24, 2011, host Scott Sommer will be joined by Michael 
McKee of
TenantsPAC to discuss the new omnibus rent bill and what tenants need to 
be doing
now to make sure we strengthen our rent laws in 2011. Thecall-innumber 
is 212-209-2900.
Housing Notebook, a production of the Metropolitan Council on Housing, 
normally
airs Mondays on WBAI, 99.5 FM, from 8 to 9 PM in the New York 
metropolitan area,
  and on the World Wide Web at www.wbai.org 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZZGiJWjGuJG-fHTwip5tUw5BgKPblqFTt2-god4SewGE3esEHlFt8pvDKjIaCPq536H57JZQ7MIEu_JqaMq2kIjJNJNt4NmY3s=].
Programs are archived for 90 days at www.archive.wbai.org 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZa2Aq1olZcolh5UzEifCKWJD8PGuUzl8osKVpbUmv0MyO-D_9b_xSvEWx6qE13oOkBUy6SHzLHcZYDr4PnmW6ixKfu9mBl-zPfB153_JEiWlw==]
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News You May Have Missed:

With Rent Laws Expiring, Tenants Need Militancy 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZY2AeA-zs9js0B6Eo8B6vBAsxIOeO3J5-KzqDLf8qR90_oQPSH1N-VH-_pSsU4RSNlyPt-N7y-A8i_8sCPsltxFfIFEJoGaMKShUbosPhfmCWrq7QVcWowdVx7e7t91IAvxhIpd-CaVIIJ1ZbLOwk-RTHyd1r6IQmxaHMJkIirdgzh3c-acW9M5TIM79QqCYkI=]

New York State's rent laws are set to expire June 15. If the  
legislature renews
  them without strengthening them, the number of  apartments with 
regulated rents
  and protections against eviction will  continue to erode. If the 
legislature weakens
the rent laws  again, as it did when it renewed them in 1997 and 2003, 
the city
will  lose affordable housing at an even faster rate.

Work in Progress: Residents Get More NYCHA Jobs 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZbdLm8YLSHYwU4Y4QvixY1PbYNCD839fhN9TzlzSLdsg_Czf3RL_PpmKRO3H4HW2mCZRHx1sHCo9OSWYcBI3FUtusdWhEDKuUbiNa9zFJMFiTKmjQlAYSkLZmb5J5J6g_GOAOs9hlMQl0kafhsFGu2F6qM1GgCuDaVB5R4It1tVvEpd1EQpVJ0G0cIsFLpnJi7KC85L9qO8jQ==]

Since 1968, public housing authorities nationwide have largely been 
ignoring a law
requiring that they employ residents. Evidence suggests that at NYCHA, 
at least,
  that's changing.

Lower East Side Tenants Sue Landlord After 130 Violations 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZYQpcf0SILpREK2RYqYx8bMZtHj82V7duT6T4DiESkKdnFpUTFNP383AFXunf-mIWcSEeZurKEHUr6OEYTTixkrt6ZWbzvYl2VeKFiERP8_3DQwDdR8nm78AaJOVOewQuMzT9_OH9lo4Ql37az6L8TdqvIx9kPekwEroglu-HJ5oJGTlBk6CvA6SJdal81tEcp8QowgF2TsLnUvsqFiQEc1zpuh09VFBcV_2Eg1haACzkR5pVnts5vTZdH3MMdnKt230vabbUetz-vSyQSTgSBgUjumr8JCBbzfDfNnwb8TztD9NKkJPy8K]

A group of tenants at 101 Stanton Street on the Lower East Side have  
filed suit
  against their landlord, Arwen Equities Partners, for  allegedly 
allowing 130 violations
to pile up at the building.

Bedbug Complaints Up 7% in NYC 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZad7FbRnSndFWarEIxLZANIzKSz99JnpzcSlvN4aEJSbgbzuTKZQOLg8jFAC17EGK6N5KYwC2yCymJ9biXMwH5SA592mzgOIDFh3yc7Dukh-Zucp2hS4YUWE-yUlX1m6yPSjISMJfVfKGHCwkF_Y1XSqTkWdcKEoiZgYTyQFzYvTLSE4oKB8KnxqcJSniEo9N-3CydjAEvyMZg2dr54SifvJLXbBchlXA7sMlMnhBcVCIg185_FVwIoZaqp_fNqShM83dihEPuaCUdjudRHcKPLVeiyf02E8cWGZXJCKntCMq4SflZqqyqV36y49Pps3SM=]

Bedbugs are here to stay, at least for now, statistics from HPD show.
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ARE YOU A MEMBER OF MET COUNCIL ON HOUSING?
Join the Metropolitan Council on Housing today and get involved in the 
fight for
  decent, affordable housing!
Our members are the heart and soul of our work - leading our campaigns, 
volunteering,
and providing nearly all of our financial support! We depend on the 
efforts, and
  the membership dues, of people like you, for everything that we do.
To become a member and learn about the important work of Met Council on 
Housing,
  go to: metcouncil.net/join.htm 
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=h4zklccab&et=1104281288145&s=3080&e=001uicdmQNuHZYEggpy5K0FHeijPv_kQ1y6bCNcqUH1MAjsDI4Sq9_HyosX1Mkzpdq4cjK_pZXgMpcFdu96rI-Y0IlhzCz_wRgpBjY2o_JDA_w79LZKO-oMY2TjYUIEoaF0]
Members receive a free subscription to our monthly publication, 
Tenant/Inquilino.
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TENANT HOTLINE:
MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, & FRIDAYS

Call
Met Council on Housing's tenant hotline at 212-979-0611 between the 
hours of 1:30
and 5:00 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,for brief answers
to questions about your rights as a tenant, help in organizing a tenant
association in your building, or referrals.
Please note that we have been receiving a high volume of calls lately. 
If you are
unable to get through during our hotline hours, please be patient and 
try us back
a few minutes later.
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TUESDAY NIGHT
HOUSING CLINIC
Met Council's Housing Clinic offers tenants assistance with 
landlord-tenant disputes.
We meet at the offices of the Cooper Square Committee, located at 61 
East 4th Street
in Manhattan, every
Tuesday beginning at 6:30pm.
By subway: 6 to Astor Place; F to 2nd Avenue; or N/R to 8th Street.
Please bring all paperwork associated with your case.
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NYC'S HEAT LAWS ARE IN EFFECT:
 >From October 1 through May 31, landlords must provide heat at the 
following levels:
6am-10pm: If the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees, the inside  
temperature
must be at least 68 degrees everywhere in your apartment.
10pm-6am: If  the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees, the inside 
temperature
  must be at least 55 degrees everywhere in your apartment.
Hot water at a minimum of 120 degrees at the tap must be provided 24 
hours a day,
all year 'round.
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Join Our Mailing List 
[http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101738108903]
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In Solidarity,
Metropolitan Council on Housing

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