Housing Eviction Crisis in New York

Housing Eviction Crisis in New York
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Housing Eviction Crisis in New York
Introduction
The United States has diverse housing problems that worsen due to the increasing unavailability of stable housing in most parts of the nation. One of the leading issues of concern is the rising problem of housing eviction witnessed across the nation. Reports from diverse newspaper platforms reveal that this challenge has gradually grown into a crisis in the last few years, with most Americans facing imminent homelessness threats (Brand, 2023). The American eviction crisis directly relates to the housing security issues of the nation because the landlords are the primary initiators of the increasing cases of evictions. New York is, perhaps, one of the most affected localities by this problem. Madden and Marcuse (2016) indicate that eviction incidents are rampant in the city, leaving many residents without shelter. The author emphasizes that the region's problem is only worsening as other housing dynamics emerge, making this issue far more complicated. As a result, this paper will assess eviction as a housing problem in New York and explore the diverse policy solutions that stakeholders can formulate or strengthen to find lasting solutions for the residents.
Housing Evictions in the United States and New York
The eviction crisis in the United States is a complex and silent problem because of the unavailability of centralized databases to quantify and track the problem over the years. Salviati (2017) indicates that the nation has found it significantly challenging to solve this issue because of the inability to measure it accurately. Gromis et al. (2022) agree with this observation by demonstrating that most statistics arise from court records and related filing systems. Unfortunately, these no-centralized sources of information do not incorporate other informal cases of evictions, leading to missed data that could assist the stakeholders in estimating the true situation of evictions in the nation. Despite this drawback, targeted surveys by independent researchers have projected the issue’s magnitude and underscored the urgency needed to address it at the federal, state, and local levels. Collyer and Bushman-Copp (2019) note that the issue is urgent in highly populated areas like New York where diverse factors intertwine to increase the probability of residents facing eviction. As a result, this housing problem affects many Americans in different regions yet remains underexplored.
Statistics about eviction rates in the United States are shocking. Gromis et al. (2022) estimate that approximately 69.7 million Americans grappled with this issue from 2000 to 2018. Such a projection translates to about 3.6 million cases of evictions every year. These statistics are consistent with Salviati’s (2017) projections that the nation’s 3.7 million citizens experience this housing problem annually. The case for New York is even more concerning because statistics reveal that more than 100,000 New Yorkers suffer from this challenge yearly. Brand (2023) indicates that although the temporary freeze enjoyed by many households since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has provided sufficient relief from eviction, landlords evicted 4,400 people in New York immediately after this agreement expired in 2022. The author warns that many more individuals risk facing similar actions as time progresses since the state-based moratorium no longer protects renters from forced or coerced removal from their residents for diverse reasons by the homeowners.
This problem affects everyone. Collyer and Bushman-Copp (2019) indicate that evictions cut across all age groups, but vulnerable populations are disproportionately disadvantaged. For instance, Nova (2021) indicates that older adults are among the most vulnerable victims facing this issue despite laws protecting them in various states, including New York. Statistics reveal that approximately 10% of residents aged 65 years and above had not honoured their rent commitment by the time the moratorium expiry in the U.S. (Nova, 2021). As a result, more than 800,000 elderly individuals in the country were at risk of eviction. According to Salviati (2017), evictions occur for many reasons, with rental insecurity affecting about one out of every five individuals. The author also indicates that the largest trigger, approximately 77.3%, for these actions by the landlords is renters’ inability to pay their rent. However, other reasons also trigger this problem, including lease violations (9.5%) and 12.2% due to foreclosure, change of lease, or demolition. Thus, eviction is a critical problem in the nation and New York.
New York landlords initiate evictions in diverse ways. One of these is through legal processes that include tenancy termination notices. Brand (2023) indicates that New York court petitions are rising as many landlords seek to move tenants from their premises for different reasons. Collyer and Bushman-Copp (2019) indicate that approximately 56,000 families in the region move from their homes in forceful ways, translating to 19%. In most cases, tenants move because of the expenses associated with court cases or diminished hope of winning such lawsuits. However, the marshals oversee the evictions when the landlords win the cases. The truth is that landlords use different channels for pushing renters from their homes when the explored causes of these problems arise. Such an aspect leaves the evictees homeless or forces them to relocate to poorer neighborhoods.
The urgent need to address the eviction crisis in New York arises because this issue triggers far-reaching ramifications for the affected families. Collyer and Bushman-Copp (2019) show that this disruption inconveniences the most vulnerable members of society, including older people, whose financial capacity to recover remains compromised. As a result, such an experience increases their likelihood of becoming homeless. The health and social consequences of lacking a supportive living space can be life-threatening, leading to morbidity and mortality issues. As a result, New York legislators should demonstrate urgency in solving the eviction crisis in the city through informed policy solutions.
Policy Solution for the Eviction Crisis in New York
Stakeholders acknowledge that eviction is a concerning public issue affecting New Yorkers, with vulnerable groups like older people being the most affected. As a result, players in this sector are exploring diverse ways through which policies and laws can prevent rampant cases of evictions (Eviction Innovation, n.d.). They recognize that the existing tools, including federal and state laws, local ordinances, court orders, and policies, can significantly influence the implementation of evictions in ways that protect the locals from the associated harms. Eviction Innovation (n.d.) reveals that by improving policies related to eviction, tenants in cities like New York would enjoy improved problem-resolving support while interacting with their landlords and preventing escalation to eviction. They would also ensure landlords can only effect evictions in specific instances and promote increased accountability during illegal and harmful actions. Finally, changes would ensure that fairness is commonplace at all levels, including pricing, due processes, and housing justice. As a result, the policy solutions can occur around four primary areas, including those that promote tenant-landlord relationships, court reforms, lawsuit limits, and regulation of after-judgment consequences.
Policies Promoting Improved Landlord-Tenant Relationships
Formulating policies that protect tenants against eviction related to broken relationships with their landlords is one of the progressive approaches that New York legislators can use to solve this crisis. Eviction Innovation (n.d...