State Assembly 32 Anthony Andrews

Website: andrews4progress.com

Social media:

What type of housing do you currently live in?
Regulated Rental Apt
Are you, or have you ever been, a landlord?
No
1. If yes, where & how many apts. do/did you own?
Does your campaign accept contributions from real estate developers (including related individuals), corporate lobbyists, organizations that participate in the carceral system, and/or landlords?
Yes
Have you ever worked in, or had another affiliation with, the Real Estate industry? No
Have any of your campaign or advisory staff held a position as a corporate lobbyist or an executive role with the Real Estate industry?
No
1. If so, how can we be assured you will have tenants’ interests in mind? (250 characters)

Values and Vision

Do you believe housing is a human right?
Yes
- If so, what does that mean to you? (500 characters)
  Every single person, no matter what, deserves to have a place to call home – somewhere that is safe, well maintained, and long-term. The housing crisis is one of the most urgent crises facing our city and even the whole country. The government has a responsibility to create truly affordable housing, social housing, and long-term transitional housing and also a responsibility to create and uphold laws and policies that protect everyday New Yorkers in their homes.
What type of action have you taken in the past around issues of housing justice? (500 characters)
I am a strong advocate for housing and tenant rights in my private capacity. I have often acted as intermediary for neighbors to address issues with supers and landlords. I helped inform the residents of South Jamaica Houses of their rights as a tenants and have been a part of discussions with members of the Rochdale Village Board of Directors regarding the relationship between the residents and the Division of Housing and Community Renewal around their rights as shareholders and cooperators.
What do you think are the most pressing Housing issues & what action would you take to address them as a state representative? (1000 characters)
The affordability crisis and burgeoning homelessness crisis are two sides of the same coin. Our city is teetering on the edge of a housing collapse. Prices keep going up, wages stay low, housing stock is shrinking while luxury towers are growing everywhere. We need immediate action.
We must fully fund NYCHA as a priority. We also need to stop relying on a broken and unsafe temporary shelter system and instead focus on providing long term supportive and transitional housing.
We need to immediately create truly and deeply affordable housing. Part of that can be accomplished by refining the Area Median Income formula to better determine what is truly affordable. We should also reform the property tax system to more equitably reflect real market value and collect revenue more equitably, freeing up budget to build more social housing and other housing programs.
Have you or anyone close to you (relation, friend, etc) been evicted or been threatened with eviction?
Yes
Have you ever had to fight a landlord for repairs or faced harassment?
Yes
Do you believe that housing should be de-commodified?
Yes
- Please explain your answer (500 characters)
  We cannot sit back and let luxury developers break apart our communities and set unattainable prices on our homes. The state must take action to even the playing field and provide affordable housing for all. We can instead invest in community land trusts that raise up our communities. We can build social housing like many other major cities around the world – especially long-term supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness. And we can encourage and strengthen tenant unions so that residents can have more agency over their homes.
Do you believe in publicly owned and controlled housing?
Yes
What is one rent and/or eviction protection you would enact if you had the opportunity? (500 characters)
Good Cause Eviction – it’s one of the most important pieces of legislation out there today
Do you agree that all evictions are bad?
No
- If no, why not? (500 characters)
  Occasionally, there may be times when an eviction is necessary to protect other tenants from someone who is destructive or dangerous and is therefore harming the other tenants. In those kinds of cases, I think evictions may be necessary.
Do you support the concept of universal rent control?
Yes

Overview on Housing

Do you support the NYCHA 2.0 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and other privatization schemes?
No
1. Please explain why or why not (250 characters)
  RAD and similar privatization schemes ultimately lead to the erosion of public housing and of communities. They are a betrayal of the residents and lack accountability. We need to keep public housing public and listen to the residents.
NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect, and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems? (500 characters)
We must fully fund NYCHA and make sure that repairs are being taken care of quickly, safely, and efficiently. We need to bring to bear city, state, and federal resources. The way our government has failed NYCHA residents is an embarrassment. We need to give more voice to residents in directing their resources and repairs. We can also encourage the creation of tenant maintenance programs that not only provide maintenance to building but reinvest funding directly into the NYCHA communities.
Do you support setting aside 15% of all units created in new state-subsidized affordable housing projects for homeless families and individuals?
Yes
How would you use your office to put pressure on landlords to make repairs and stop harassing tenants? (500 characters)
My office will be a place that anyone can come and find help. If there is a bad faith landlord, my team and I will intervene and mediate. When that doesn’t work, we’ll bring in the power of agencies and the press.
But we also need more resources on the government side. We need to fund the agencies charged with oversight and with holding landlords accountable. We need more laws on the books that protect tenants from harassment and guarantee repairs in a timely and safe manner.
Do you support regulating the 300,000 deregulated rent-stabilized apartments?
Yes
Will you support increased funding and oversight hearings of DHCR’s Office of Rent Administration to ensure timely responses?
Yes
How will you ensure people who owe back rent due to COVID are not evicted and do not continue to owe money? (500 characters)
We need to expand ERAP and make the Excluded Workers Fund permanent. We can also work to erase debt through state sponsored no-interested payment plans or create rebates and tax incentives for landlords that forgive rental debt.
Would you support financial and criminal penalties against landlords and brokers that deny a prospective tenant housing based on using a tenant blacklist?
Yes

Current Bills and Campaigns

Do you support Good Cause Eviction Protections?
Yes
If Good Cause is not passed this session, what will you do to ensure it gets passed in 2023? (500 characters)
We’ll build out our coalition, bringing on more residents, more advocacy groups, and more unions to create a groundswell of support. We can also spend more time educating people about the importance of Good Cause and what it would mean and how it would be deployed.
Will you support ending MCIs?
Yes
Will you commit to fully funding the Housing Access Voucher Program?
Yes
Do you support the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)?
Yes
How will you support tenants in your district opting into TOPA? (500 characters)
I believe that homeownership is a key to lifting communities up by creating intergenerational wealth and stability. I would make sure that all residents know about TOPA, have access to materials and advice in their language, and that building owners and developers are held accountable for making sure that the TOPA process is respected and followed.
Do you support the move to legalize basement apartments and ADUs?
Yes
Do you support tenants’ right to collective bargaining?
Yes
Do you support 421a or Gov Hochul’s proposed 485w?
No
Do you support fully funding the Excluded Workers fund?
Yes
Do you support the “Excluded No More” bill?
Yes
Are you committed to making sure every tenant in the state has free access to counsel in Housing Court?
Yes
Will you commit to fully funding statewide Right to Counsel in 2023’s budget?
Yes