Housing Attorney Kenny Minaya in NY Daily News!
Kenny Minaya, housing attorney and coordinator of the CMS Immigrant Tenant Advocacy Program (ITAP), was recently mentioned in an article by the New York Daily News. Read more about the work we are doing in support of affordable housing for low-income immigrant tenants by following this link.
Congratulations to Kenny and everyone supporting the incredible work of ITAP!
CMS holds first monthly community meeting in Bushwick
On Wednesday October 7th, Catholic Migration Services held their first monthly community meeting at St. Joseph’s Parish in Bushwick. There were over 80 Bushwick residents in attendance who heard from several community legal services organizations in the area.
Catholic Migration Services partnered with the law firm Virginia & Ambinder, LLP to give a training on basic labor rights. Our Housing Program Coordinator Kenny Minaya, and Senior Organizer Yolanda Coca, provide housing legal services to low-income tenants in the Bushwick and Ridgewood neighborhoods, holding legal clinics and tenant organizing meetings. To find out more about our Immigrant Tenant Advocacy Program (ITAP), click on this link.
CMS Attends RGB Hearing
On June 15th Catholic Migration Services was part of the public hearing that the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) was hosting. Tenant members from different neighborhoods including Woodside, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst attended the hearing and testified for a much needed Rent Roll Back. Tenants spoke about how much of a burden rent has become and how they would have to leave their apartments and NYC in general if another increase was implemented. The tenants wore white T-shirts which they made colorful by writing messages and drawing images of how much of their income is spent on rent. Their testimonies included some data, but mainly their own stories which made them very powerful. Other groups that attended the RGB hearing were Minkwon, Centro Hispano Cuzcatlan, Make the Road NY and Chhaya.
RGB Preliminary Hearing
On Wednesday, April 29th tenants and community groups rallied together to advocate for a rent roll-back for rent stabilized apartments by the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB). CMS’ ITAP and BHIP, CASA, Los Sures, RENA and many other tenant advocacy organizations were present to show their support of a rent roll-back. Community members marched from Herald Square to The CUNY Graduate Center where the RGB preliminary vote was held. New York City Council Members Corey Johnson, Ben Kallos, and Jumaane Williams spoke at a press conference outside of The CUNY Graduate Center. They discussed the hardships tenants are facing with the high cost of rent and why they support a rent roll-back.
After the press conference community members attended the preliminary vote held by the RGB. Both, RGB members representing the landlords and members representing tenants made proposals for this year’s increase, but it was the Chair, Rachel D. Godsil’s proposal, that got approved. Now the Rent Guidelines Board will only take into account the following range for the final vote. 0 to 2% increase for One-year leases and 0.5 to 3.5% increase for Two-year leases.
Public hearings will now be held in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx to provide the community with an opportunity to testify and advocate for a rent freeze or the lowest possible increase given the proposal approved by the RGB.
March to Save NYC!
On May 14th there will be a Rally at Foley Square in Manhattan to demand stronger rent laws to keep rent affordable. On June 15th New York State’s rent laws will expire putting over 1 million rent-stabilized homes at risk. CMS would like to gather community members from all over NYC to march against Block gentrification, end rent hikes and repeal rent deregulation. Please join us in speaking out against New York’s housing crisis, demanding stronger rent laws, and keeping rent affordable for New York residents.
Join us May 14th at 5 pm at Foley Square on the corner of Centre St. & Worth St. New York, NY 10013.
