“I really don’t want to go to the shelter, but if I have to I will,” he said. “I’m 59 years old, I can’t worry about it too much. I’m an older guy and I can’t live on the streets. I’m just trying to find a place to enjoy the golden years of my life.”
“Mr. Stone’s case is tragic, but it isn’t unique,” he said in a statement. “We hear similar horror stories daily from tenants in unregulated apartments who face eviction or exorbitant rent increases, deprived of any legal protections to help them remain in their homes. To combat this crisis head on, Albany must immediately codify ‘Good Cause’ eviction legislation. State lawmakers can no longer shirk their responsibility to advance this critical measure.
Good Cause eviction laws face stiff opposition from property owners throughout the state and have already been shot down or overturned in Albany, Rochester, and Newburgh. Davidson said the bill will affect “model landlords” minimally and excludes owners of three- or fewer-unit buildings, because such landlords often lived in their properties and would have a further, vested interest in vetting tenants whom they would also call their nextdoor neighbors.