Housing advocates rally for Queens lawmaker’s hotel conversion bill

Activists rallied in support of a bill introduced by Sen. MIchael Gianaris that would direct state funds towards converting old hotels into affordable housing.  Photo via Housing Justice for All/Twitter

By Jacob Kaye

Lawmakers, tenants and homeless New Yorkers rallied in support of a bill in the state legislature that would transform old hotels into affordable and permanent housing last week. 

The Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act, sponsored by Queens legislator Michael Gianaris in the Senate, would allow for the state to buy distressed commercial real estate in order to create affordable housing in cities in New York State with a population of one million or more people. 

Dual rallies in support of the bill kicked off in Brooklyn and Rochester on Friday, May 21. 

“New York has seen a decades-long affordable housing crunch exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic devastation,” Gianaris said. “This legislation is a good way to tackle the dual problems of distressed properties and lack of affordable housing.”

While the mechanisms for purchasing the real estate aren’t in place yet, the money to do it is. This year, the state budgeted $100 million toward hotel conversions. However, what exactly it is the hotels will be converted to wasn’t specified. 

Leaders from the Housing Justice for All coalition and a handful of legislators worry that if left up to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the money will go towards converting the derelict spaces into office buildings and luxury housing. 

“If Governor Cuomo gets his way, he is going to continue to sell out our communities and turn these hotels into luxury condos,” said Lourdes Melo, a leader at Neighbors Together, one of the organizations in the coalition, “We can turn those hotels into housing for homeless New Yorkers through the Housing Our Neighbors With Dignity Act and create thousands of good quality, permanently affordable housing units.”

The number of single adults experiencing homelessness in New York City reached an all-time high in February of this year, with over 20,800 people sleeping in city shelters that month,  according to a report from the Coalition for the Homeless. 

The report also found that individuals housed in hotels – as opposed to congregate shelters – had lower rates of COVID-19 infection in 2020. 

“The need for deeply and permanently affordable housing is more pressing than ever, with single-adult homelessness and household rent burdens rising while hotel and office occupancy is declining,” said Assembly member Emily Galagher. “The answer to these problems is clear: let’s pass HONDA and turn one industry’s distress into a source of health and security for struggling New Yorkers.”

The bill is currently in committee in the Senate.