Shekar Krishnan, councilman for the 25th district of Queens returned to Pura Política to talk with Pura Política host Julio César García about his legislative priorities.
About his bill called the “Back Home Act,” the councilman said that “the most urgent crisis we, as a city, face is housing. And in this crisis there is a problem where tenants are facing eviction from their homes. And if we are going to solve this housing crisis, we have to protect tenants in their own homes and prevent eviction.”
The local legislator assured that when tenants are evicted from their apartments in the five boroughs due to incidents such as fires, it takes a long time for them to return home. “It’s not months, but years. And the guilt? We can definitely put the blame on the bad owners. But we can also put the blame and blame the city,” he said.
The proposed legislation would make it necessary for the city to work with building owners to ensure that upon departure due to fires, harassment cases, illegal construction, tenants can quickly return to their homes to retrieve their belongings.
It also expedites the correction of reported problems at its properties, and requires the city to relocate displaced tenants within their same school districts so as not to disrupt their children’s education by having to change classrooms.
The councilor reiterated that “it is quite clear that we are not now facing an immigrant crisis that is at the center. “We are facing a leadership crisis here, because Mayor Adams’ budget says he is going to cut all the services and programs on which all New Yorkers, including immigrants, depend.”
Krishnan suggested that instead of cutting those services, we need to restore those programs and invest in public resource services so that all activity can be successful. “The truth is that we cannot cut off our path to prosperity. We have to invest in services for immigrant communities,” he said.
Regarding the councilman’s proposal to expand the hours and calendar during which the city’s public pools and beaches are open, Krishnan indicated that “we are a city surrounded by water, but every one of four children does not know how to swim in this city. .
