NEW YORK, CMC — Caribbean American legislators here on Tuesday commended New York State Legislature’s passage of an emergency measure to stop New York’s looming eviction crisis.

The Bill, which New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has agreed to sign into law, takes effect immediately and keeps tenants in their homes.

“I want to commend the state Legislature for passing a Bill that will protect tenants struggling in a public health and economic crisis from eviction, and thank the advocates who have spent months fighting for the true blanket moratorium that New Yorkers across our city and state needed,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants.

“For renters and owners alike, the lack of security or clarity has been debilitating, and passing this legislation is both morally imperative and economically vital,” he added.

But Williams said “as crucial as this emergency measure is, it may ultimately be only a delay, not a prevention, of a looming mass eviction crisis if we do not continue to adapt and provide aid throughout this crisis and beyond.”

“Now the governor — who has been able to circumvent the legislature for months and has recently weakened his own ‘moratorium’ — must immediately sign this Bill into law and provide security and relief for New Yorkers before their next rent check is due,” Williams added.

New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, who represents the 20th Senatorial District in Brooklyn, said the Bill’s passage is “an important first step toward long-term housing justice for all”.

Myrie, whose grandmother hailed from Jamaica, said the Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act “stops the clock on all new and pending evictions for 60 days, and protects renters facing financial distress as a result of the pandemic”.

“Tenants who have lost income or employment, have increased family or healthcare expenses, or cannot afford to move, will be protected from eviction until May,” he said. “Renters at risk of eviction will be provided a simplified, multi-lingual form to attest to their hardship to their landlord and the court.”

Myrie said the new law will also support small property owners facing financial hardship by preventing liens and foreclosures, and automatically renewing certain property tax benefits for seniors and people with disabilities.

“This legislation gives tenants the tools they need to halt eviction proceedings through the pandemic winter ahead of us, but our work is not done,” he said. “I will continue fighting on behalf of renters and small property owners, and working to ensure that our existing crisis is not worsened by a tidal wave of evictions and foreclosures.