Brooklyn Senator Zellnor Miri pushes bill to end winter evictions

ALBANY. Brooklyn lawmaker wants to end winter evictions in New York City.

Zellnor State Senator Mairi (D-Brooklyn) and supporters rallied Thursday in support of a bill that would bar sheriffs and marshals from executing eviction orders across the state during the coldest time of the year.

Tenant advocates have joined Mairi outside of Brooklyn Housing Court to draw attention to the measure, which they say will prevent brutal winter evictions and help ease the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis.

“If it’s too cold to turn off the heat, it’s too cold to be outside,” Miri said. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen that preventing evictions is not just a matter of tenants’ rights, it’s an integral part of public health and safety.”

The bill, known as the Winter Eviction Freeze Act, is also sponsored by Assemblywoman Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca) and will block evictions between November 1 and April 15 each year.

Senator Zellnor Miri

Miri said the measure is based on an eviction moratorium imposed at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, which has prevented thousands of families from becoming homeless.

The number of evictions continues to rise in five districts after the pandemic ban expired early last year.

Marshals evicted about 4,400 families or individuals from apartments between January 2022, when COVID restrictions expired, and last month, according to city data.

This number still represents a small fraction of the annual evictions recorded before the pandemic. In 2019, bailiffs carried out about 17,000 evictions in the city, according to the Department of Investigation.

“In the midst of a homelessness and housing crisis in this city and state, ending eviction procedures during the winter months is an important step towards housing justice for all,” Miri said.

Tenant advocates agreed, saying the bill would provide some peace of mind to New Yorkers who don’t pay rent or fear being outside during the cold.

“Respect people with low incomes and don’t let all legal cases move forward and evict people and their families who are losing their homes,” said Fidel Albert, tenant leader of the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, Crown Heights Tenant Union and Brooklyn Eviction Defense. “Say no to more homeless people and yes to canceling and banning winter evictions forever.”

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