REBNY learns to tailor message to zeitgeist

REBNY has joined forces with New York’s Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of tenant rights. Both sides want more government action, mostly in the form of streamlined rental assistance, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• Dig Deeper: The lobbying effort has been focused on changing the rules for existing rental assistance programs. NY’s Family Homelessness Eviction Prevention Supplement program (FHEPS) requires tenants to first be brought into eviction court before they can qualify for relief. But the state’s eviction moratorium has made that impractical, limiting how much rental assistance can be distributed. The joint effort also advocates for raising the monthly rent ceiling to qualify for rental assistance and for expanding eligibility.

• Worth Noting: Asking rents for one-bedroom apartments Manhattan have fallen almost 20% over the past year, the Journal noted.

• The real story: REBNY finally adopts a new strategy to win the messaging war… The joint industry and tenant lobbying effort includes other housing groups and goes by the name of “Project Parachute.” [WSJ]