Attorney General James Calls on NYC to Provide Emergency Housing Vouchers to New Yorkers Living in Unregulated Basement Apartments

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today called on the City of New York to provide special emergency housing vouchers to all New Yorkers living in unregulated basement apartments following the deaths and devastation caused by Hurricane Ida:

“We know that New York’s housing crisis has gone too far when tenants have to risk their lives just to have a roof over their heads. Today, I’m calling on the City of New York to provide a special emergency housing voucher to all New Yorkers living in unregulated basement apartments. Extreme rainfall and other severe weather events are now the rule, not the exception, in New York. In the face of that risk, it is our duty to move these New Yorkers out of harm’s way by offering them safer, regulated housing. To prevent these problems in the future, we must also ensure that basement units are safe for human occupancy and regularly inspected. Overcoming the twin threats of climate change and a housing crisis will not be simple, but we must ensure measures are in place to protect our neighbors and prevent a future catastrophe.”