State Senate 36 Christian Amato

Website: www.christianamato.com

Social media: @amatoforny @amatoforny

What type of housing do you currently live in?
Unregulated Rental Apt
Are you, or have you ever been, a landlord?
No
1. If yes, where & how many apts. do/did you own?
  NA
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)
  I am a major proponent for the Housing Voucher program, HONDA, and Good Cause Eviction – if elected, these will be my priorities. I want to help pass legislation for tenants, coop members, and renters since many in my district reside in apartments.

Values and Vision

Do you believe housing is a human right?
Yes
- If so, what does that mean to you? (500 characters)
  Everybody deserves access to a roof over their head, a home that brings them stability and a quality of life. That means defending our homeless population, aging New Yorkers, and marginalized communities. I want to fight for the housing and services that supportive housing provides. We must be supporting the Housing Access Voucher Program, passing Good-Cause Eviction and eliminating the Major Capital Improvement loophole, and creating democratically controlled social housing.
What type of action have you taken in the past around issues of housing justice? (500 characters)
I have been a longtime housing advocate, prioritizing the needs of tenants across the Bronx. In the Senate, I worked with agencies to help defend tenants and renters in Pelham Bay, Allerton, and in our NYCHA’s in Throggs Neck and Pelham Parkway. My work in the Bronx with tenants has been focused on assisting building organizers in forming tenant associations, bringing in legal aid to hold landlords accountable, and collaborating with groups like POTS to help educate tenanats on their rights.
What do you think are the most pressing Housing issues & what action would you take to address them as a state representative? (1000 characters)
We must allocate resources to help those with the greatest needs. Many experiencing homelessness need both the housing and services that supportive housing provides. We must dedicate two-thirds of the units in the new statewide program to individuals, with the remaining one-third for families and youth.
I would support the Housing Access Voucher Program (S2804B/A3701A), which creates a statewide Section 8 program, at least 50% of which is targeted to people currently experiencing homelessness.
I have many solutions to make our housing more equitable. My priorities would also include:
-Making universal rent control a reality for all tenants, by passing Good-Cause Eviction and eliminating the Major Capital Improvement loophole.
-Taxing the rich to solve our housing crisis, by ending 421a and 485a tax breaks and passing new taxes on the wealthy, such as the pied-a-terre tax.
-Increasing funding for the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and the funding for Mental Health Housing.
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)
  Housing inequality has long been a key way that racial inequality reproduces itself. Before the 1968 Housing Rights Act, some white neighborhoods used racial covenants to legally exclude tenants or homeowners of color. Black homeownership is declining and predominantly Black, brown, and immigrant communities are being gentrified out of competitive housing markets. To stop thinking of housing as a commodity means to stop thinking of houses or apartments primarily as things to be bought and sold and instead as, above all, homes. I am supportive of decommodification by removing the land for housing from the private market altogether through community land trusts, or CLTs.
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)
If elected, I would make universal rent control a reality for all tenants, by passing Good-Cause Eviction and eliminating the Major Capital Improvement loophole.
Do you agree that all evictions are bad?
Yes
- If no, why not? (500 characters)
  –
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
- Please explain why or why not (250 characters)
  Public/Private partnerships with NYCHA have contributed to the deeper privatization of NYCHA buildings and units, which hurts renters and takes away from our ability to provide safe, affordable, public housing.
NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect, and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems? (500 characters)
Taxing the rich to solve our housing crisis, by ending 421a and 485a tax breaks and passing new taxes on the wealthy, such as the pied-a-terre tax. All monies should be routed directly to NYCHA to uplift our public housing.
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)
As I mentioned above, as a Senate staffer, I helped building leaders form tenant associations and connect with agencies and orgaizations to bring in legal assistance and organizing measures to take on faulty landlords. My office will always be available to tenants to serve as a conduit and resource hub and I would be focused on connecting tenants to ERAP, HEAP, and additional organizational resources to make sure their needs are met.
Do you support regulating the 300,000 deregulated rent-stabilized apartments?
No
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)
If elected, I would make universal rent control a reality for all tenants, by passing Good-Cause Eviction and eliminating the Major Capital Improvement loophole.
I would also fight to continue to fund ERAP for those who lost wages and income to ensure tenants have a proper opportunity for recovery. I also support funding LRAP for landlords who have been collaborative with their tenants and are in need of recovery.
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)
If Good Cause is not passed this session, if elected, I will become the bill’s primary sponsor and reintroduce it. I would mobilize members of the Senate and Assembly, along with community based organizations to build a public organizing effort to educate and lobby for the passage of this crucial legislation.
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 view my Senate office as a resource hub. If elected, I will offer free legal assistance out of my office to help future homeowners navigate TOPA. I would also help establish a public listing of properties that landlords are preparing to sell so that tenants can have the resources, a public listing and increased transparency so that they are educated and aware.
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