Every human being has a right to a safe, stable place to live, without which they cannot truly be free. That’s why we need Good Cause tenant protections and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. These bills protect tenants from unjust evictions, end unreasonable rent hikes, and give tenants funding.

Without these protections, landlords are free to abuse tenants, retaliate against them or displace them to gentrify neighborhoods. To change things, we must prioritize people over profit.

Predatory developers and landlords trap communities, especially Black and b–––rown people, in a system that forces them to choose between buying food and paying rent.

More than 100,000 adults and children around New York are homeless, with millions more at risk for dangerous evictions.

I believe in a New York where every human being has inherent dignity and all people have safe, stable housing as a human right. I believe in a world where we value people over property. And I believe this world is possible if we work together.

I am calling on our representatives to support Good Cause and TOPA because New York must recognize housing as a human right – no exceptions. Every person, every family deserves a safe, stable place to live. Working together, we can make that a reality.

— Dawn Laguerre, Utica