|
I called this press conference to respond to a puzzling article in today's New York Times that was critical of my living arrangements in my hometown of Harlem. The story said I live in a penthouse, which I don't. It also insinuated that I have some sort of sweetheart deal with the landlord. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is I've repeatedly engaged the owners of Lenox Terrace and other landlords to end evictions and harassment of tenants.
I pay the maximum legal rent, and in fact, would be violating the law if I paid more. When my family moved in, apartments were not scarce in Harlem, and rents were relatively low, including those in Lenox Terrace. Because I have not moved the rents have increased only incrementally each year, and therefore have remained low, especially compared to today's "downtown" rentals.
My wife, Alma, and I moved into 40 West about 20 years ago. Our apartment--the same place we live in today--was two units combined into one by the previous occupant, Dr. Eugene Callendar, a prominent minister and community leader. It is where we raised our two children and where our three grandchildren visit with us.
A few years ago, as our family grew, we rented a small unit next door to our apartment, which served as a sort of den and work room for me and as an extra room for our children, and now our grandchildren, to sleep when they visit us.
The office mentioned in the story is a small apartment, which I use for working and to make fund-raising calls. When the apartment was rented about ten years ago, there was no question about whether it was appropriate in view of the fact there were--and still are--other offices in the building.
The main point that I wish to make today is not only that the rents I pay are the maximum allowable by law, but that the units I've rented for close to 20 years are my home. What has been described as a double apartment, is the same apartment it's been even before we moved in; the small unit next door is just another room in our house.
What is described as below market rent is the protection afforded by the New York rent control law to residents like myself from the escalation in market price that is pressing so many of us to leave a community we can no longer afford.
Some people are surprised that in my 78 years I've basically lived in two places, 40 West 135th St, and before that, in a brownstone three blocks away on 132nd Street which was owned by my grandfather and where I was born and lived for more than 50 years. It is for that reason that rents have not increased that much for me. Not because of any sweetheart deal.
I know what it's like in the rental market today: apartments are scarce, rents are high, and some unscrupulous landlords and using under-handed means to evict tenants. For years, I've been fighting them, including owners who have relationships to the owners of this building.
In my role on the Ways and Means Committee, housing has been a top priority. Since 1986, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which I authored, has been responsible for the development of 2 million rental units across the nation, and over 6,500 affordable units in Upper Manhattan alone. This year, I am working on adjustments to the tax code to expand the credits by 10 percent.
I am grateful that the GI Bill provided me--a poor high school dropout from Lenox Avenue--with the education to become a lawyer and to eventually make my way to Congress where my position on the Ways and Means Committee is allowing me to make a difference in the lives of my constituents, friends and neighbors. Harlem will always be my home. .
###
OTHER RESOURCES
2008: Housing and Other Legislative Achievements
HOUSING-RELATED PRESS RELEASES
5/27/2008
Elected Officials Commend HPD For Rejecting Sale of Historic West Side Mitchell Lama Building
Councilmember Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and State Senator Bill Perkins joined Congressman Charles Rangel to applaud the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) decision to reject the sale of Trinity House, the Mitchell Lama development located at 100 West 92nd Street, New York, NY 10024. ....more.
5/8/2008
House Passes Bipartisan Housing Package
The House of Representatives today responded to the housing crisis by passing a comprehensive package of measures aimed at stemming the tide of foreclosures, stabilizing local housing markets and providing incentives for first-time homebuyers. more
3/4/2008
Rangel Fights To Save Local Section 8 Housing
Congressman Rangel joined New York Senator Charles Schumer, New York State Assemblyman Keith Wright, the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB), Tenants and Neighbors and Northern Manhattan-based group Harlem Tenants United in urging landlords to help maintain the city's Section 8 housing projects. ....more
12/19/2007
Rangel Legislation Provides Relief to Co-Ops
Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Charles B. Rangel, hundreds of housing cooperatives boards in New York City will now have greater flexibility in the rent they charge commercial tenants. more
6/9/2006
Rangel Praises Decision To Investigate Pinnacle Group
Congressman Charles Rangel praised the efforts of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau to investigate the questionable tactics by the Pinnacle Group real estate company. more
|
