But unlike “tenant-based” Section 8 vouchers, residents cannot necessarily transport those subsidies to a new apartment.īenjamin, however, said all tenants with Section 8 subsidies whose homes are uninhabitable will be able to transfer their subsidies to other apartments. That means the federal government covers the bulk of the rent for tenants, who pay no more than 30 percent of their income for the remainder. Brian Benjamin at a press briefing Monday. More than 75 of the 120 apartments are attached to project-based Section 8 subsidies, said Lt. are reserved for households earning less than 60 percent of area median income (no more than $64,440 for a family of three), according to a 2013 purchase agreement with DHCR. Nearly all of the apartments at 333 East 181st St. The Twin Parks complex represents a dwindling commodity in New York City: low-cost housing. The displacement effect is retraumatizing.” “This is their enclave and they need to be as close as possible to home. “I’m hopeful they will be helped the way they deserve to be,” Sokolof Diaz said. Some have found new apartments, while others continue to stay in hotels and city-funded emergency shelters.Īndrew Sokolof Diaz, a former resident of the Jackson Heights building who helped organize his neighbors, said city and state officials must hold the Twin Parks landlord accountable and work with each family to create a specific, long-term housing plan close to their community. Nine months after their apartments burned, more than 200 families are still banished from the building. The aftermath of a devastating April 2021 Jackson Heights fire is just one example. Property owners, particularly landlords without the same public agreements, may flout accountability and leave renters stranded. “Getting clarity on how they should behave in this moment sets precedent for future cases,” Weaver said. In addition to its privately owned affordable housing sites, Camber has taken over private management of some NYCHA complexes. How Camber and its associates respond following the fire at their building on East 181st Street could impact tenants in disasters down the road, said Housing Justice for All organizer Cea Weaver. ![]() “If they’re not doing that, it can impact future deals.” ![]() “The state is involved with the developer on many different projects and part of that oversight is making sure that people are getting safe and affordable housing,” Tropp said. Since their business depends on government subsidies and agreements, the developers have extra incentive to do right by displaced tenants, said Matthew Tropp, the head of Legal Aid’s Bronx housing practice. In recent years, Camber and Gropper have purchased several Section 8 properties and now own at more than 120 sites, mostly in The Bronx and Brooklyn, according to building records. The collection of owners, organized as Bronx Park Phase III Preservation LLC, bought the high-rise in 2020 and entered into an agreement with the New York State Housing Finance Agency of the state’s Division of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR) to provide affordable housing in exchange for hefty low-income tax credits and low-cost financing. The firms have strong political ties: Camber’s CEO Rick Gropper recently served on Mayor Eric Adams’ transition team. The building, known as Twin Parks North West, is a state-supervised Mitchell Lama site that belongs to a network of investors including LIHC Investment Group, Belveron Partners and Camber Property Group. ![]() A spokesperson for the building’s owners told City Limits they will connect tenants who can’t return to their apartments with new units elsewhere. In this case, however, housing advocates say the city and state have significant leverage to pressure the property owners to move the tenants into new housing until their apartments are restored. For undocumented immigrant residents, it can be even harder, Parkin added. “It could be years with the current housing inventory we have in the city,” said Rue Parkin, the executive director of disaster relief organization helpNYC.
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