On July 14, the NYC Council passed the Back Home Act, a groundbreaking package of legislation introduced by NYC Council Members Jennifer Gutiérrez and Shekar Krishnan to support New Yorkers displaced by fires, floods, and other emergencies.
“Time and time again, we’ve seen New Yorkers displaced from their homes left to navigate a chaotic, unsupported system during the most traumatic moments of their lives. The Back Home Act was written with and for those neighbors—and with its passage, we are finally giving tenants the clear guidance, accountability, and resources they deserve,” said Gutiérrez.
“The Back Home Act will provide several tools to tenants displaced due to emergencies such fires and structural issues. St Nicks Alliance every year deals with families displaced from their homes due to vacate orders and this puts an immeasurable burden on those families, this package will provide relief to those issues,” said Rolando Guzman, St. Nicks Alliance’s deputy director for community preservation.
Some of the laws in this package are: The Office of Remediation provides support, resources, and clear communication to help tenants and landlords rebuild their homes and lives, coordinating with agencies to ensure timely re-entry. A dedicated, fully staffed, team within HRO will serve as a navigator center, tracking cases and helping secure updates from all involved agencies. Calls on the State to create limits on landlords’ ability to indefinitely collect insurance payments, creating an incentive to complete repairs for faster tenant re-entry. This bill will require the Department of Buildings to report on the length of time to repair vacated units and ensure that building owners must prove they have tried to fix violations before full demolition. Mandates the HPD to relocate displaced tenants in the same or nearby neighborhoods upon their request.
The Greenline 