Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Participates in AARP Tele-Town Hall

December 22, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, thank you very, very much, Chris. And let me start with a happy holidays to everyone on the line – a very happy New Year in advance. I want to thank you for this chance to be with you. I’m just going to talk for a couple of minutes then open up to as many questions as we can get to.

Chris, I want to commend you; I want to commend everyone who works at AARP, and especially the members of AARP. You have created something extraordinary over these last few years. AARP is an amazing force in this city, and in this state, and in this nation. And, you know, this is a case of people who banded together in common cause and have made a huge difference. AARP is a force for good. And when it comes to trying to create a more fair society and a society that respects everyone including, obviously, our seniors, AARP has made a world of difference. And there’s a lot of people who have the support they deserve in large measure because of your efforts. So I just want to commend everyone for being part of an organization that really does work, and does make an impact.

You know, what I want to talk to you about today is affordable housing. And the simplest way I can say this is wherever I go in the city the number one question I hear from New Yorkers is concern about affordable housing. They ask me will there be enough affordable housing? Will I have a place to live? Will I be able to afford to stay in my own neighborhood or to stay in the city? This is the number one concern on people’s minds. And the cost of housing, we all know, has gone up and up over the last 10 and 20 years, and created a lot of strain for everyday New Yorkers. We are absolutely adamant, in my administration, that we must continue to have an affordable New York City; that if New York City is no longer affordable to more and more people, it won’t be the same New York City. It has to be a city for everyone. And we’re moving heaven and earth to regain some of the affordability we used to have, and make sure this really is a city for every kind of New Yorker. And that is particularly true for seniors. I’m going to say something you often hear, but it’s true. You created the city we live in today – so many of you literally participated in building the city, making it great in so many ways. And so many of you stood by the city during some tough times. We know the 70s and 80s were very tough. We know in a lot of neighborhoods in this city we went through real difficult times when a lot of people were leaving; a lot of neighborhoods were stressed, but many of you stood by and stayed the course, and kept our neighborhoods strong so they could bounce back. And now we are benefiting from the commitment you had as the city has gotten stronger.

I’ve said very clearly the only way we’re going to keep the city affordable is with a massive affordable housing plan. It is enough to – enough resources have been put in now to build or preserve 200,000 apartments – 200,000 apartments, enough for half-a-million people. And when I say half-a-million people, just to give your perspective, that’s as many people as entirely live – the entire population of Kansas City or Miami for example. That is how much we will create and preserve in affordable housing over the next 10 years. It’s a lot – it’s a lot, we still need even more, but that’s what we are committed to doing. And we’ll keep trying to build on it. And a big piece of that plan is for our seniors. I’ll go into that in a second. But the bottom line of the plan is that people will know the more we succeed that there is an affordable place to live; that they can live in their own neighborhood; that despite gentrification and the rising price of housing and all, there’s still going to be options for everyone, including our seniors.

And we know that a lot of seniors have suffered from the larger economic reality that I’ve talked about a lot. I’ve talked about the tale of two cities that people experience. A lot of seniors despite a lifetime of hard work are living in poverty right now – 20 percent of our seniors in poverty. Too many seniors forced to choose between paying the rent and a lot of other basics that they need, and, obviously, very, very worried that they won’t be able to afford to live here anymore. We’re trying to not only address this with affordable housing. We’re doing some other important things including our Age Friendly NYC Commission. It looks at a host of changes we can make in policy to make this a better city for seniors going forward.

Obviously, we’re doing a lot of things to help people get the benefits they deserve; helping people to gain Medicare and Medicaid savings that they deserve, who are not signed up now.  We’re helping to make sure that meals get to people who need them.  We’re combatting elder abuse. There’s lots of different fronts we’re working on, but in the end housing is the number one issue. We hear it over and over again.

So, our plan is focused on every borough, every neighborhood. Right now, we have 10,000 units that will be dedicated to seniors. That’s a beginning; we hope to expand upon that number as we grow. 10,000 apartments for seniors, that’s a $400 million dollar commitment we’ve made, and that’s a beginning that we think will make a big difference. And we’re trying to make sure that in a lot of those cases where we need to make sure there’s services available, that they’ll be available right there in the housing we create. We also recognize for a lot of seniors, the best thing we can do is help them stay in the housing they’re in right now, which is why we’re focused on things like making sure that they have a freeze on their water bills. If they’re seniors with low incomes, we have an initiative to make sure that your water bills will not go up.

Obviously, for seniors in rent-stabilized housing, I think you know by now we had the first time ever zero percent rent increase for a one-year lease, two percent for a two year lease. That’s an extraordinary change from the past, and something we hope provides real relief to seniors right now.

So, these are a couple of things we’re doing. We’re very devoted to continuing to address the issues. And AARP is a central ally in this effort. I want to thank everyone at AARP for endorsing our affordable housing plan. Your support makes a huge difference. It’s going to help us get this plan achieved, and get these apartments in the hands of our seniors. And before I open up to questions and comments, I just want to say I’ve been joined by our Commissioner for Housing, Vicki Been, who’s leading our affordable housing efforts. And by one of our great commissioners, our Commissioner for the Department for the Aging, Donna Corrado, who every day is looking out for our seniors and making sure they have the services they need. So, Vicki and Donna, thank you for joining us.

And now we’re happy to take questions and comments, Chris.

Chris Widelo, Moderator: Thank you very much, Mayor de Blasio. If you just joined us, you just heard from our mayor, here in the greatest city – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has joined us for a conversation around affordable housing here in New York. We want to take as many questions as possible. The mayor has generously given us his time to be here to hear from AARP members, so, press star-3 on your telephone keypad and one of our screeners will get to you to find out about your question, so we can hopefully get it live on the air. So, please press star-3 on your telephone keypad if you would like to ask a question or make a comment regarding the conversation here around affordable housing.

You know, everything you say, mayor, it’s very dead-on. We pull our members, 50 and older – in the public, this really voters 50 and older – it shows that affordable housing a major concern for 54 percent of respondents and more and it really surpasses any other community concern, so we’re really proud to be able to endorse this plan and work with you to make it a reality here in the city.

So, without further ado, I do want to get to some questions. So, we have James in the Bronx. James, could you ask your question here with the mayor?

James: Yes, I’m very curious as to what the percentage is, by borough that he intends to have this affordable housing put into? Is it going to be equal percentages across the board – that is the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan – or is it going to be strictly the Bronx or strictly Staten Island or what? What is the percentage – if you’re going to turnaround, you know 40,000 affordable housing units put together – where will they be and where are they going?

Widelo: Thanks for the question, James. Mayor de Blasio, what do you think?

Mayor: James, thank you for the question. So, it’s a five-borough plan. It will touch, essentially, every neighborhood of the city in one way or another. Remember, the plan in 120,000 units will be preserved – meaning existing apartments, usually existing individuals or families in those apartments – we’ll provide the subsidy, we’ll keep people in their apartments long-term. That’s going to be all over the place.

On the other piece of the plan – the 80,000 apartments that we will build, well, that to some extent, of course, depends on where the land is and the opportunity to build. It will be in many, many parts of the city – absolutely a five-borough plan, but we know that some parts of the city that are less built-up or will have more opportunity to build, others where there is less opportunity. So, that changed a little by borough and neighborhood but – Vicki, feel free to jump in – I think it’s fair to say the goal is to have a pretty even distribution across the city.

Commissioner Vicki Been, Department of Housing, Preservation, and Development: Absolutely. We will go where the land is, where the need is, and build everywhere we can.

Widelo: Alright, thank you. Thank you, James, for the great question. Again, you’re listening to Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York City, if you’re not aware, but I’m sure you are and he is talking with us about affordable housing. My name is Chris Widelo, the Associate State Director for AARP here in New York City and also, joining us on the call is the Commissioner for Housing Preservation and Development, Vicki Bean, and the Commissioner for Aging, Donna Corrado. So, we’re very fortunate to have everybody joining us today.

Going to go with Laurence from New York, New York, do you have a question or comment for the mayor?

Laurence: Yes, what is the mayor doing to stop the landlords from destabilizing apartments and turning them into free rentals?

Widelo: Well, I think he can probably answer that himself.

Mayor: Yes, no, and Chris I can take the questions directly because I’m used to this – Laurence thank you for the question. So, a couple different things – first of all, in terms of rent-stabilized units, when we came into office two years ago, we found that the increases being given to landlords were not based on the actual cost that they had and we changed that structure and we looked very, very carefully – we analyzed the actual cost, you know, everyone knows, in recent years some of the energy costs have gone down – the price of oil and gas has gone down. So, we realized that, in fact, there was a basis for a zero percent rent increase and the two percent increase for a two-year lease. That was a change of policy where we said, we need this to be a tenant-focused approach that’s based on the real numbers and that’s why we made those changes.

We made a big change which is part of the affordable housing plan – to demand of developers, that they have to create affordable housing when there’s major – when there’s rezonings and other major land-use changes in the city, that developers who develop have to include affordable housing or they, literally, don’t get the right to build on the site.

We’re pushing Albany to change the way they subsidize real estate because in the past, luxury condos got tax breaks. The bill I put forward ended tax breaks for luxury condos and demanded a lot more affordable housing whenever any developers gets a tax credit.

So, these are all examples of the kinds of things that we have included in our plan, and on top of that, we’re putting $60 million into legal aid, legal services for anyone who feels they’re being harassed by a landlord or forced out or evicted. If there’s evidence of harassment or of an effort to illegally evict a tenant, you can call 3-1-1 and you can get free legal services paid for by the city to defend your interests.

Widelo: Great, thank you very much. You just heard from Mayor Bill de Blasio and Laurence, I appreciate that question. So, we’re on a live telephone town hall with AARP members and we’re talking about affordable housing here in New York City. We have another call that we’d like to go to, John in Forrest Hills.

John, would you like to ask a question to the mayor? You’re talking to him.

John: Yes, happy holidays Mr. Mayor. The reason I call – I live in Forrest Hills for the past eight years and my rent increase over that past seven years has been one percent. This last lease that I was asked to sign, the increase was over seven percent and, unfortunately, I had to sign the lease and stay in my apartment, but I want to know what recourse I have. I questioned the landlord but I received no explanation and anything that you could tell me, I’d appreciate it and thank you very much, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Thank you, John, and happy holidays to you. Now, John, if you’re in a rent-stabilized apartment, then that increase would not have been legal. If you’re in a regular, private market-rate apartment, the landlord may have had a right, but what we need to do is get more details so that we can see if we can help you and get you legal help, especially, if it is a rent-stabilized apartment – that would definitely be something we could do.

So, I’d like you, after this call, to please call 3-1-1 and say you have a problem with a landlord that might be overcharging you rent and you’d like to be able to talk to a lawyer about it, and 3-1-1 will follow-up with you.

John: Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Good luck to you.

Mayor: Thank you too, John.

Widelo: Thank you, Mayor de Blasio. And if you’d like to ask a question of the mayor, please go ahead and press star-3 on your telephone keypad at any time and you will be connected with the mayor and it looks like, you know, at this rate, we’re going to get through a lot of questions.

So, mayor, while we head to another question – we need to overhaul New York City zoning, right? I mean, we have to get current with what the need is and also, you know, what the, you know, in order to accommodate the need for affordable housing. Could you talk a little bit about the two main pieces of the proposal that I know a lot of people are talking about, right? It’s called Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning Quality and Affordability. 

Mayor: That’s right, Chris. Look, even though, when you hear these names, they sound very technical and the kind of thing lawyers would deal with and not the rest of us, here’s why they matter to everyday people. Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning simply means this – that developers must provide affordable housing if they want to build taller buildings. It’s as simple as that – that we will not allow new development past a certain level unless it comes with affordable housing. Now this has been tried only in a voluntary manner before in New York City. It’s never been a requirement on developers. And this would be groundbreaking for New York City to say from now on, look, our land is precious and when we allow a developer to develop, it is the public, it is the people saying, this is an opportunity we are giving you, but what I think is necessary is that people demand something in return, and through their government say there must be a substantial amount of affordable housing. If a developer says no, I don’t want to do affordable housing, they can move on and someone else will develop the land. But under Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning, it is just what it says – it is mandatory. On Zoning for Quality and Affordability, it is an effort to update laws that are now over 50 years old. And what we’ve found with those laws is they were making affordable housing – the old laws were making affordable housing too expensive. They were standing in the way of us being able to create affordable housing for seniors in particular. And we weren’t able to build in a certain number of places where there was the opportunity to build but the law made it harder to build than a lot of developers were able to do, including nonprofit developers. So what the Zoning for Quality and Affordability allows – it updates the laws. It focuses very intensely on speeding up and improving the process of creating affordable housing, including for senior housing. 

Widelo: Thank you, Mayor de Blasio. You just heard from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and we’re talking about his affordable housing plan. This is a plan that AARP feels very strongly about, because it gets at the need for affordable housing here in New York City. And so we’re really proud and pleased to have him on the phone today. Alright, Mr. Mayor, we’re going to go to Kenneth. Kenneth in New York, New York – if you can hear my voice, you are now live talking with Mayor de Blasio.

Kenneth: Hello, Mr. Mayor. I’m disabled and I’m curious as to whether you’ll make any accommodations for the disabled in your affordable housing?

Mayor: Yes, Kenneth. I’ll start and then I’d like to welcome Vicki Been and Donna Corrado to add anything they’d like to. Yeah, look, all of the new affordable housing that’s being created obviously conforms with the Americans with Disabilities Act. And, on top of that, you know, we have a variety of tools that we use to support people with disabilities, including, of course, the DRIE program that tries to address rent levels. So we’re very focused on it – in addition to a lot of other things we’re doing, like ensuring that there’ll be disabled taxis going forward and other ways to accommodate people. Vicki and Donna, can you fill in some of the details?

Commissioner Vicki Been: Sure. This is Vicki with HPD. And all of our new housing we set aside five percent of the housing for disabilities – for physical disabilities; two percent of the housing for people with hearing and sight problems – so we specially outfit the apartments for – for those; and in our – when we preserve housing and rehab it, we also set aside housing in that way. So we – we have a preference for people who have those needs and we set aside apartments specifically for them. 

Widelo: Great, thank you very much – oh, go ahead, Commissioner Corrado. 

Commissioner Donna Corrado, Department for the Aging: And we’re also developing an aging-in-place guide that will give some guidance to landlords who want to not only preserve their apartments but make them more handicap-accessible and age-friendly.

Widelo: Thank you very much. You just heard from Mayor de Blasio, and you also heard from Housing Commissioner Vicki Been and Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado. So, Mr. Mayor, we’re going to go to another question. We have Mona in the Bronx. Mona? If you can hear me, go ahead and ask your question of Mayor de Blasio. Or Natalie, I’m sorry. I think it’s – the line is under Mona, but I –

Natalie: I don’t why – I’m sorry.

Widelo: That’s okay, don’t worry about it, go ahead. 

Natalie: My question was almost similar to the other one with the disability, because I was in a shelter and I got the LINC program, due to my income, as far as I’m at-home mother because my kids are sick. So I was trying to figure out – the LINC is only for five years. What are we supposed to do after that to not go back into the shelter?  

Mayor: So, Natalie, thank you very much for the question. Look, we believe in the LINC program and we intend it to continue long-term. So the good news is five years is a long time – it’s an opportunity to really help people to become economically stronger. So a lot of folks who were on LINC we’re also helping to get job training or job placement or other ways to be economically stronger. In the past, a lot of those kind of programs were only for a couple of years. We made clear with the five-year commitment that it’s enough time for people to really improve their lives. And we’ve put a lot more focus on programs like LINC that reach people at the lowest income levels. So you can rest assured, this is going to be a big focus of what we do going forward. And, you know, we’re going to be very aware of being able to help folks come off of those kinds of programs, like LINC, and get into other opportunities. 

Widelo: Great. Thank you, Mayor de Blasio. This is Chris Widelo with AARP, and you’re listening to live telephone-town hall. We’re discussing the issues of affordable housing here in New York City. So at this rate, Mr. Mayor, we’re going got be on a pace to break any record of the most live questions we have – are you ready to go after that record today?

Mayor: Let’s set – let’s a record, Chris. Let’s do it. 

Widelo: Let’s do it. Alright, so, Barbara – Barbara in Brooklyn – we’d like to hear your call, so please go ahead and ask your question of Mayor de Blasio. 

Mayor: Well, we’re not going to set records if she doesn’t have a question – 

Widelo: [inaudible] sorry – it looks like it’s William – I’m sorry – William. 

Mayor: William?

William: Yes. This is William Alexander [inaudible] from Brooklyn. Question – when will the affordable housing for senior citizens be available? What agency – what must I contact in order to check into it? How much is the annual income, the yearly income in order to qualify for the senior apartment?

Mayor: Okay. So, the, again, there’s two types of affordable housing – the apartments that we preserve in place and then the ones we build new. The preservation efforts are happening as we speak. We did a lot of them last year and this year. The building new usually takes a couple of years. They’re – again, they’re going to be able over the city. Vicki Been can talk about how you specifically apply for them in terms of income level. The program is set to reach different income levels including folks at the very lowest income levels. So, we have a very substantial number of units for folks, who for example, make under $20,000 in annual income, which is a lot of people in this city. A lot of people in this city make between $10,000 and $20,000, even a lot of people make under $10,000. So, a lot of our affordable housing is for the lowest income levels. Vicki will now talk about how to apply for them.

Commissioner Vicki Been: So William, to apply to the housing – and some of it is coming online, you know, literally as we speak, because last year we put about 8,000 new units under construction, and those will be coming online soon. So, to access those – to get in line for that housing you need to go on Housing Connect, which is an online lottery service; and to get on that you just dial 3-1-1, and ask them to explain to you how to go on to the Housing Connect. If you don’t have a computer, we’ll send you a written application. We have – it’s translated into seven different languages, and we’ll take that application and put it into the lottery.

William: Excellent, so I’ll call 3-1-1 for that?

Commissioner Vicki Been: Call 3-1-1 and ask them for Housing Connect – the housing lottery. 

William: Very good.

Commissioner Vicki Been: Okay, great. Good luck.

Widelo: Great, thank you very much, William, for the good question. Mayor de Blasio we’re going to go now to – I’m going to get this one right, I swear – Charlotte. Charlotte in New York, New York if you’d like to speak with the mayor go for it.

Charlotte: Happy holidays, Mayor. I just wanted to ask about a rent-stabilized or I guess any government lease like rent-stabilized changes every year. Is that a long-term plan for it to change every year? Is it fixed at any point? What happens with stabilized or controlled?

Mayor: So, Charlotte great question, and happy holidays to you. Here’s the deal, obviously, I believe that rent-stabilized apartments should be protected for the long haul, and so far we’ve managed to do that regularly in Albany. In fact, one of the things we fought for in Albany this spring was to improve and increase the amount of support for tenants, and to make sure that they were protected even more. And we made some real headway there. In terms of the question you’re asking about how the rent increases are determined each year, yes, there’s an annual vote by what we call the Rent Guidelines Board. The board decides what is fair each year. Again, as I said earlier, in the past I don’t think the board looked at all of the factors the way that we are now. And when we look at all the factors of real cost involved we found this year that tenants should not get an increase for a one-year lease, and should only get a two percent increase for a two-year lease. So right now, tenants as there leases are coming due have an option to renew for one year at zero percent, two years at two percent. We’ll make another decision next year for the leases coming up again based on the specific economic information we have. And we’ll make sure that that decision is fair to tenants. So, yes, you know, you’ll regularly have your lease come due, and again you have the option to choose one-year or two-year, and we remind people that two-year deal this time is a very good one even though the one-year at zero percent is, of course, wonderful. Two years at two percent is a very good deal, and a lot to be said for that. But regularly the Rent Guidelines Board will assess and will make decision. And as people leases come due they’ll be subject to the new guidelines decided by the Rent Guidelines Board.

Charlotte: I think all that is wonderful because $50,000 a month in rent is getting crazy, and we need a little mix in this city.

Mayor: We need a lot of mix in this city.

[Laughter]

Mayor: You know, Charlotte, I always say the city – this city became great because there was a place for every kind of people, and it was not just a playground for the rich. It was for everyone, and that’s what works for New York City, and we have to preserve that for the long term.

Charlotte: And I thank you for that.

Mayor: Thank you, Charlotte.

Widelo: Great, thank you very much, Mayor. And, Charlotte, thank you very much for your question. So, you’re listening to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. And we’re talking affordable housing with this live telephone town hall for AARP members. And Mayor, again, we just really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to talk about this important issue, and a proposal that we certainly stand behind you on. I want to take another call. We have, let’s see, it looks like we have Jeanne, here in Manhattan. Jeanne, if you can hear my voice – Jeanne, go for it, you’re live on the air with Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Jeanne: Mr. Mayor, I’m an 86-year-old woman. I’m living in a building that’s about 45-years-old. My husband was an original tenant. The original rent of this apartment was a little over $800 a month. I’m now paying almost $3500 a month and the building is in the process of being turned into a condominium. What are my rights?

Mayor: Okay, so, it sounds like, Jeanne, that you’ve’ been in – I’m sure you know – it sounds like rent-stabilized from the beginning.

Jeanne: Correct.

Mayor: And, the question here would be whether the apartment is still covered or not and what we need to do is have a lawyer assess for you what your rights are. Has the landlord communicated with you yet, the intention to change the building?

Jeanne: The building is in the process of being turned into a condominium. They have not –

Mayor: So, you’ve gotten formal –

Jeanne: The building has not renewed any leases, other than those that are rent-stabilized, of which I am one.

Mayor: Okay. Vicki? I want Vicki to jump in here because I want to make sure I get this one right. So, Vicki, why don’t you guide us – obviously, again, this could be a situation, depending on how it’s been handled – where legal help could be available. But Vicki what do you suggest?

Been: Jeanne, have you – has the owner given you a lease renewal? Did you renew your lease?

Jeanne: My lease is not up until next year.

Commissioner Vicki Been: I see. So, under the laws of the rent-stabilization, you should be able to keep renewing the lease, as long as you’re in the apartment, but to be double sure, if you could call 3-1-1 and tell that you need to speak to one of the legal services or Legal Aid lawyers because you worry that you are being overcharged or that you may be, you know, your lease may not be renewed because of the condo-conversion and they will put you in touch with a lawyer.

You can also call the attorney general’s office – the attorney general supervises all of those conversions to condos and is very careful to protect the rights of the rent-stabilized tenants.

Jeanne: Thank you, thank you very much. Good luck.

Widelo: Thank you, Jeanne, and thank you to both, Commissioner Bean and Mayor de Blasio for fielding that one and I just want to put a quick hit out for 3-1-1. I mean, when you have these issues, especially around housing, to call 3-1-1, it is a great resource here in the city and please, I see a lot of questions coming up about having issues and wanting to know where to go and 3-1-1 is a great first-start – be as specific as you can and they really do get you to the right spot. It’s something that I test out a couple times a year, just so I know what our members go through.

Again, this is Chris Widelo with AARP New York and we’re very pleased to have a live telephone town hall, this afternoon, with Mayor Bill de Blasio and also, Commissioners Donna Corrado and Vicki Been.

Mayor, we’ve had a few new people join since you’ve tipped things off, just after 3:30 p.m. Could you just, kind of, recap, sort of, your vision for affordable housing here in the city and what’s happening right now?

Mayor: Absolutely, Chris. I will and we, certainly, have a little more time for questions after that, if there are additional questions.

The bottom line here is, again, I want to thank AARP for supporting our affordable housing plan. It’s a ten-year plan to create and preserve 200,000 apartments – that’s enough for half a million people. A big chunk of that is devoted to seniors and we are very, very focused on the fact that seniors need affordable housing – a lot of folks struggling to make ends meet in this city and particularly, for seniors who don’t have big incomes or are on fixed incomes, that’s a real challenge. So, we’re trying to address that by both, building and preserving in place, a substantial amount of affordable housing – it’s the biggest affordable housing program, literally, in the history of this city.

And on top of that, we’re trying to do other things that help protect seniors’ rights and interests, including, obviously, making sure the maximum number of people take advantage of the SCRIE and DRIE programs for rental assistance, helping seniors to not have increases in their water bill – if they’re a homeowner and they meet the income requirements. There’s a lot of efforts we have to help seniors, but I think one of the biggest thing we can do is protect the long-term affordability of this city.

Obviously, our seniors are our single, fastest growing part of our population. That means we have to constantly create more and more affordable housing for the long-run and, as we talked about a moment ago, it also means protecting our tenants, protecting strong rent-regulations, and making sure that, each year, when there’s decisions about lease renewals, that no one’s asked to pay more than they should.  And that’s why we’re very proud that this year our Rent Guidelines Board decided on a zero percent increase – first time in history – zero percent increase for a one-year lease under rent-regulation, two percent increase for a two-year lease. That’s literally the lowest it’s been in almost a half century and we’re proud of that fact.

Widelo: Great, thank you very much Mayor de Blasio. So, we’re going to go right back to some calls. If the mayor is like me he probably has holiday shopping to do, but we’re going to break this record; and we’re well on our way. So we’re going to go right to Samuel. Samuel, I understand a congratulations is due to you because you are going to be retiring in six weeks.

Samuel: That’s right.

Widelo: Congratulations, and I hope you get the most –

Samuel: Thank you.

Widelo: – and enjoy your retirement fully. So, you’re on live with the mayor. Go ahead and ask your question.

Samuel: Okay. I’m asking one question. Now, affordable housing – where would that put me at in affordable housing as a retirement because I work construction and I don’t know what my retirement payments are going to be or my pension or whatever is going to be. I need to know what affordable housing means for me to be affordable housing?

Mayor: I got it. I got it. Samuel, first of all, congratulations on your retirement.

Samuel: Thank you.

Mayor: The affordable housing efforts that we have, again, when it’s all built out over the course of this ten years – again, we’re now in our second year of ten years in this program – grand total of 200,000 apartments between the ones we build and the ones that we preserve and subsidize. Under our system you would pay no more than 30 percent of your income toward rent. So whatever your income happens to be from whatever sources – if you qualify and if you get one of the affordable units you would pay no more than 30 percent of your income toward rent. And they are available for people at different income levels. So we have, as I said earlier in this call, we have a lot of people in New York City that make less than $10,000; less than $20,000. We have units available for them. We also have affordable housing buildings and apartments available for folks who make $30,000, $40,000; all different income levels, but – so basically anyone who needs affordable housing will qualify for one type or another. If you do get an apartment, you pay no more than 30 percent of your income in rent. Vicki anything you want to add to that?

Commissioner Vicki Been: No, we have a range of housing available for people of different incomes for different housing sizes. And so, you know, again, go on 3-1-1 – sign up for the lottery, so that you can see all the housing that’s available at the different income ranges.

Widelo: Wonderful, thank you very much commissioner. Thank you very much, Mayor, for answering that question. We’re going to go to another one. We have Caroline. Caroline in Harlem you are on live with Mayor de Blasio.

Caroline: Oh, hello Mr. Mayor. And I’m glad you’re feeling better and happy holidays to your new family. I’m working with some seniors voluntarily and they’re concerned about Section 8. What’s really going on with Section 8? And I’m particularly interested in the area right here in Central Harlem around 140th Street, you know, 141st, like that.

Mayor: Absolutely. Well first of all, very merry Christmas, happy holidays to you. And thank you for –

Caroline: Thank you.

Mayor: – Thank you for inquiring about my health. I’m doing better since I had my operation. Thank you very much. So, here’s the deal with Section 8. Section 8 has continued, but not the way it used to. I think it’s the simplest way to say it. For many years the federal government was very invested in Section 8 and the amount increased. And then, in the last decade and more it’s – there’s not been an increase. We’ve had to make do with the amount we have. Obviously, we have many fewer Section 8 vouchers then the need out there. So, we’ve struggled. And, as you know, there’s been efforts in Washington in recent years to cut back even further on efforts like affordable housing and social services. Right now, I’d say things are at a bit of a stalemate. We’re not getting more Section 8; we haven’t lost Section 8. It’s kind of stuck with the same numbers we have now. So, we continue to be able to make vouchers available, but not on the level that we want to. That’s one of the reasons why we have to create our own very, you know, very robust affordable housing plan. Again, no city in the country has ever attempted to build and preserve 200,000 apartments, enough for half-a-million people. We had to do that, in part, because Washington was not investing in affordable housing. Maybe – maybe over time some changes will happen in the discussion in this country, and the debate, in the elections that will put the federal government back in the affordable housing business. That’s something we should all work for; that’s something I’m working for as mayor. But that’s, obviously, going to take a while.

Caroline: Alright. And thank you so very much.

Mayor: You’re very welcome.

Widelo: Thank you, Caroline. Appreciate the question. We are going to go to Bridgette. Bridgette in Brooklyn, go ahead you’re on live with Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner Been, and Commissioner Carrado.

Bridgette: Hi, happy holidays. I got a daughter that works for the city and can’t get an apartment in the city – affordable apartment – because her income is stuck.

Widelo: [inaudible]

Bridgette: It’s with lower income, it’s not with higher income. She’s stuck.

Mayor: Yeah.

Unknown: [inaudible] income is not full then middle income, and is above low income.

Mayor: Yeah.

Bridgette: Yeah.

Mayor: So, Bridgette the answer to your question is look, we have people who work for the city of New York; who work for me as mayor who certainly qualify for affordable housing. A lot of people qualify affordable housing. And what we’re trying to do is, again, produce a lot more both in terms of new buildings and preserving apartments that are affordable now for the long run. So, not all, you know, sometimes I think people have a stereotype that affordable housing programs are just for the lowest income or just for people you might consider middle class. Our plan – 200,000 apartments – it covers the whole range. There are folks who make $10,000; there are folks who make $20,000; there are folks who make, you know, $40,000, $50,000, $60,000 dollars. So it’s a range and therefore people should – who need affordable housing – should be applying to the ones that fit them. Vicki, why don’t you add and also again explain to people how they can go about applying for the affordable housing?

Commissioner Vicki Been: Yes, Bridgette, so first of all happy holidays. And second, we do provide housing at a range of incomes. In the past, the housing was often targeted at, you know, around $36,000 for a family of one or $46,000 for a family of three. But we’ve now broadened that range remarkably. So, we go very low, and up into the moderate and middle income. So, please call 3-1-1 and check onto Housing Connect, which is the lottery that will lift all of the housing that’s how available; that’s now in a lottery. And will show you the range of incomes that’s available for different family sizes. I think you’ll be surprised because we really do have a range of housing available now. And, you know, enter the lottery and I hope to see you in one of our buildings.

Mayor: And one other point I want to make Bridgette that we’re proud of the fact for anyone working for the City of New York, you know, just two years ago we had none of our city workers under contract; all those contracts had lapsed and people were waiting for legitimate raises and to get their situation improved. As of today, we have 92 percent of our city employees’ under contract. So, the good news is, even while people are certainly struggling with, you know, the economic realities they face. At least we’ve been able to do better by our city workers, and give them the security of being under a contract.

Widelo: Thank you very much for taking that question. We’re going to go to Rita. So, Rita you are in Brooklyn. And you are on live with Mayor de Blasio. Go ahead Rita.

Rita: Hi. Mayor de Blasio I’m a teacher and actually a volunteer in Williamsburg. And I was at your town hall meeting when you first got elected and said that affordable housing was one of your main focuses. We have a particular problem in Williamsburg whereas most of the housing has – are for small multiple dwellings, but not enough apartments to qualify for stabilized housing. So, you know, rent increases are totally at the goodwill of the landlords. So, legally a landlord could double your rent the following year. You really have no protection. And it worked in the neighborhood for a long time, but since the neighborhood has become gentrified – and I love the neighborhood I’ve been here all my life – it’s been very difficult. So, I’ve lived here for a long time with my young daughter in the same apartment now for 25 years. And the landlord passed away, and the rent – one of the children took over the building; immediately raised the rent from $1,200 a month to $2,000. I tried to get into some of the Housing Connect programs, but that’s really not – it’s really not an easy thing. I mean, it’s a lottery; it’s a longshot. And even if you’re living in the neighborhood, you’re in the community board, you’re active in the neighborhood. It’s still – it hasn’t worked for me. Fortunately, even though I’m kind of getting up in years I’m healthy and I’m still working a lot of hours. But I look ahead it and looks – it looks, it’s very challenging. So that would you say in a situation like that?

Mayor: Well Rita, first of all, thank you for providing the example because I think it’s one of the really challenging situations we’re dealing with. And when a building is not rent-stabilized so I’m glad you’re raising it because, you know, what you’re going through a lot of people are going through. And second, thank you for the work you do because I appreciate the way you’re helping young people through your work. Look, I think there’s a couple of answers. One is, there are some specific efforts that we’ve made to help protect the rent levels in smaller buildings, and to preserve them. And that’s something I’ll turn to Vicki Been to talk about in a second. But the second point is this is why we have such an extraordinary affordable housing program. So, again, AARP support has been crucial here. I want to thank every member at AARP for your support. We are trying to do something that’s never been done on this scale before in New York City or in any city in the country. You think about, again, 200,000 apartments – enough for half-a-million people in just ten years. And I know that that – that even wouldn’t be everything we ideally want, but we know it will make a huge difference in a lot of people’s lives. So I think one part of the answer, Rita, is if we continue in the progress that we’ve made; and we’ve had already 30,000 plus apartments that have already been either preserved or financed to be built. We continue that progress regularly more and more people are going to have an opportunity to get into those apartments. The more people we get into affordable housing and secure their situation – then other people have a chance after. So, I do want to say that, you know, I know people apply for affordable housing and there’s a lot of people in the lotteries, but the good news is there’s a constant new supply of affordable housing being created to try and really accommodate more and more people. Now, Vicki I’d like you to talk about the effort we have to try and help some of the smaller buildings that are not under rent-regulation, and trying to help folks like Rita and her family.

Commissioner Vicki Been: Absolutely, Rita. Thank you for the call. And please do keep applying because even though it is a lottery people do win that lottery, believe me. And – so please keep trying. But we’re also trying very hard to bring more of the small buildings into affordability programs. We’re reaching out to owners like your landlord and offering loans to help them make energy improvements; to help them make needed repairs, roof repairs that kind of thing, if they will then agree to keep the apartments affordable over number of years. So, we are working very hardtop reach those small building owners that have traditionally been left out of our preservation program. So, we’re having some success. It’s taking a while to reach them, to convince them about the benefits of that energy retrofits and water retrofits; and those kind of things. But we’re hopeful that that will bring a lot more buildings into our preservation programs. But I want to just take your question to make a broader point Rita, and that is that what happened in Williamsburg is we’ve seen a lot of growth as I’m sure you can attest. And that growth – we’ve seen affordable housing come online in Williamsburg, but it was voluntary. And the difference in what we’re proposing now with the mandatory program is that we’re you see growth you will automatically see more affordable housing because it will be required of developers, not voluntary. And I think the lessons of Williamsburg and the lessons of so many of the neighborhoods across the city where we’ve seen gentrification; we’ve seen increasing rents , but we haven’t seen affordable housing come in the numbers that we needed – is that it has to be a mandatory program. And that’s why we’re proposing the mandatory inclusionary program. So, let your council members know that we need this mandatory requirement to protect against exactly the situation that you find yourself in.

Widelo: Thank you very much, Rita, for your question. Thank you, Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Been for taking her question and answering it. So, Mayor de Blasio, I know you’re getting pretty tight on time, and we want to go to one more question. And so after that question if you’d like to also just give some closing remarks. We just – in advance thank you for all the time you spent with us here today. It’s been a real pleasure to talk with you. So, we’re going to go to the rock. Sheldon, if you can hear me out in Staten Island go ahead and ask your question of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Sheldon:  [inaudible]

Widelo: Hello, Sheldon go ahead you’re on live.

Sheldon: Yeah I’m – my question is: my mother lives in Brooklyn and she started in her apartment under rent control, and it’s now supposed to [inaudible] and she’s been living in the building for 60 years. She’s 96 years old. And she’s had no lease for about 50 years – just continues. Has only Social Security income, and a small pension – very little in assets. They raised her rent 7 percent last year, and they’ve raised her rent several other years. What is her, you know, what are her options? I mean, she doesn’t have much in increases. Certainly, on Social Security it’s been very low for years. And whatever they have given her in increases in income they take away in medical. So, she’s living on a tighter and tighter budget. My sister and I help her continually. So, it’s a drain on us as well. What do we do? How do we – how do we control this?

Mayor: Well, Sheldon thank you very much for the question. I want to answer the question, and then I’ll just make a final comment. Sheldon, obviously, look if your mom’s 96, we don’t want to see her, you know, caused any hassles. We want to make sure she’s treated fairly. I’m going to give you some broad advice, but I would also say, Chris, if you could make sure that you can connect Sheldon with my team afterwards so we can follow up specifically. But Sheldon, anyone, you know, a building that is supposed to be rent-stabilized – now she didn’t have a lease, you know, if someone wants to try and make a problem with that they can try, but a rent-stabilized building is supposed to be respected as a rent-stabilized building. This is exactly the kind of case where we want to make sure that your mom had legal representation, and that her interests were protected. So, we’re going to see what we can do to help her specifically, but in any case like this where someone fears eviction or an unfair or illegal rent increase or harassment – now, because, again, we invested $60 million dollars in free legal services for tenants including, of course, seniors. Anyone who’s faced with this kind of danger can call 3-1-1 and get connected to a lawyer to help protect them, and that’s something the city will pay for. So, I want to just finish by saying, I want to thank everyone for being on the call. Again, I wish everyone a very, very happy holiday. Chris, thank you and thank you to all the leaders of AARP for the great work you’re doing. We really, really appreciate your support of our affordable housing plan. We need your help getting it done. If you believe that this city really should have a 200,000 more affordable apartments, enough for half-a-million people, if you believe in that vision and that developers should be required to create affordable housing when they build their development; we need your help to get it done; we need you to call the City Council; let them know you support our affordable housing plan. I know AARP is doing that work, reaching out to you. They’ll let you know the ways you can get involved. But we need your voices to let the City Council know how important it is to create more affordable housing than ever before; to protect all New Yorkers, and particularly to protect our seniors. So, thank you, everyone. Thank you for your support. And have a really joyous holiday season.