Chhaya applauds NY Mayor’s plan for basement legalization and saving small businesses

Jackson Heights, NY:
Chhaya CDC applauds Mayor de Blasio for boldly recognizing basement apartments in his Blueprint to Save Our City as a viable part of the solution to New York City’s affordable housing crisis. In Chhaya's twenty year history serving immigrants, we've seen first hand how critical basement apartments are for low-income New Yorkers, and often how it’s their only option for housing. We’ve also observed the vulnerability of those who rely on basement apartments for affordable housing. At the same time, we recognize how vital the income from basement apartments are for many homeowners. After a decade of fighting for a solution to “illegal” basement apartments that would benefit tenants, homeowners, and New York City as whole, we are pleased that our City is ready to invest in creating a program to legalize basement apartments citywide. Along with our partners (Pratt Center, Cypress Hills LDC, Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Queens Legal Services, and TakeRoot Justice) in the Basement Apartments Safe for Everyone (BASE) Campaign, we are prepared to work with the administration to ensure the success of this initiative and that the program is designed equitably to the benefit of all New Yorkers.

We also welcome the Mayor's plan to save small businesses. In 2019, Chhaya launched a Small Business Program because too many South Asian and Indo-Caribbean small businesses, that have shaped our neighborhoods for decades, are being forced out by rising rents and crippling fines. Chhaya knows that rent stabilization, coupled with a vacancy tax, will prevent speculative real estate investment from displacing our small businesses. Additionally, Chhaya’s recent Commercial District Needs Assessment reveals how small businesses continue to struggle with fines and violations. The city’s initiative to create a navigator program to help businesses address these issues will be a welcome reprieve from the burden. Small businesses are the fabric of our communities and we are committed to safeguarding their future and slow the effects of gentrification