Kingston tenants call for rent freeze
Both tenants and landlords voiced their opinions about the call for a rent freeze.
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Dozens of Kingston tenants joined forces to call for a rent freeze Tuesday night at a Kingston Rent Guidelines Board public hearing that was held at City Hall.
The residents who testified said they are barely able to make ends meet and are calling on the board to vote in favor of a rent freeze to help alleviate the financial burden through the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
The tenants said another hearing is scheduled on June 15 and they're anticipating that the vote will take place in a couple weeks.
However, in the meantime, they told News 12 that a 2022 board vote that enacts a negative 15% rent reduction in these covered units be properly applied. They said both measures will provide necessary relief to many tenants who live in Kingston.
At the hearing, both tenants and landlords voiced their opinions about the call for a rent freeze.
"I'm calling for a rent freeze and enforcement of the 15% rent reduction because times are tough," Sarah Cizmazia, a tenant, said.
Meanwhile, Vince Vaccaro, a landlord, said, "I think a rent freeze would be obscene. They want a rent reduction, which is even crazier."
Tenants also advocated for the state's housing department to set up a Tenant Protection Unit Office in the Hudson Valley to further help protect tenants in the region. They said the closest office is located in New York City.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Community Renewal issued a statement to News 12, saying in part that the governor secured investments to support tenants, which include funding to expand Tenant Protection Unit offices upstate.
