State Assembly 43 Pierre Albert

Website: palbert43.com

Social media: https://twitter.com/MrPalbert MrPalbert

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?
No
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)
  Everyone has the right to have shelter, to have a place to sleep that is safe, warm and quiet. Everyone should be able to afford rent if they work a full time job. We have to do our best to provide housing at an affordable rate that is zip code based in terms of average income. People have the right to stay and live in the community that they were born in and raised in and to not be pushed out.
What type of action have you taken in the past around issues of housing justice? (500 characters)
I work at the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery in the Housing Department where I advocate for Fair Housing for Low-moderate income tenants and I help provide subsidies for individuals that are displaced from their home due to construction. I am the President of a Tenant Association in my building that I started and we first collected all of the information concerning issues that people have in the building. Now we are in the process of circulating a petition to all residents to sign
What do you think are the most pressing Housing issues & what action would you take to address them as a state representative? (1000 characters)
Work with Non-Profit Developers & Community Based organizations to increase Affordable Housing units.
Partner with the City and Federal Government to invest in and prioritize the New York City Housing Authority.
Build Supportive Housing for the vulnerable and provide support for Housing Voucher Programs for the Homeless.
Encourage homeownership through the preservation of Down Payment Assistance programs and permanently fund the Homeownership Protection Program above the 20 million a year level from the current state budget.
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)
  By taking steps to decommodify housing we are reinforcing the idea that housing is a human right. There are too many various market forces to influence the housing market and make housing become quite unaffordable. Landlords and real estate developers should not see Housing as a way to become super wealthy. This is why I favor repealing 421-A and forcing real estate developers to increase the percentage of affordable housing that they are obligated to build by law. I also favor TOPA which would give tenants priority to buy their landlord’s building should the property go up for sale.
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 Bill- “Good Cause” would cap rent increases from landlords at 3%, or 150% of the consumer price index, whichever is higher, for 2022. In addition to this, it would require landlords to have “good cause” to evict tenants.
Do you agree that all evictions are bad?
No
- If no, why not? (500 characters)
  A landlord must have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that a tenant has acted in bad faith and has not made rental payments and has had the means to do so or poses a threat within the building.
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?
Maybe
1. Please explain why or why not (250 characters)
  NYCHA must retain their mission to serve the public with an agenda that is not profit driven. New streams of revenue must be sought as well as management that has a history of delivering.
NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect, and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems? (500 characters)
We need to lobby the federal government to pass the Social Infrastructure bill and provide a boost for NYCHA. One version of the bill estimates that 65 billion would go towards government built housing with a significant portion of it going to NYCHA. The funding would go towards repairs and close the deficit. I am also in favor and support restructuring NYCHA to have split leadership at the top. Tenants should also be allowed to have review committees and put out an RFP for repairs.
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 would hold regular town hall meetings to discuss tenant issues and the latest bad tactics that Landlords are employing, whether it be conducting live construction with residents in the building or knowingly leaving the elevators broken. I would attend Tenant Association meetings and send letters to landlords and management to attend those meetings. I will hold hearings in Albany that expose landlord practices and support anti-harassment bills.
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)
The NYS Legislature needs to forgive a certain percentage of rent that is due if it can be deemed as being too burdensome or unrealistic. We also need to make sure the Emergency Rental Assistance Program is fully funded to assist Landlords who cannot receive payments from Tenants due to extenuating circumstances such as those related to COVID-19. My office would also enlist the help of a housing attorney that can regularly meet with constituents and provide advice as well as representation.
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)
I will personally lobby the different caucuses within the New York State Legislature and lobby alongside housing groups and organizations such as Met Council Action, Tenant Pac, Housing Justice for All and the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. I will host educational seminars to gather public support and conduct hearings to welcome testimony from tenants and advocacy groups to present information on why passage of this bill is needed.
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 will hold training sessions on collective bargaining and loan my staff to serve as support in any tenant group or association that is formed for purchasing and governing. I will also recommend legal services that can help with the drafting of leases and legal/financial documents. I would also supply the tenants with a list of appraisers and supply a list of funding sources including low-interest loans that are available and sponsored by the government.
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