It’s been almost four years since COVID-19 began impacting New Yorkers, and many residents are still struggling to get back lost income and avoid eviction.
Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) rallied outside of Bronx Housing Court on Thursday to ensure their members have a place to live as evictions are on the rise.
The rise in evictions can be attributed to New York City’s COVID-19 Eviction Ban being lifted on Jan. 15, 2022, according to CASA. Some residents say they’re still reeling from the pandemic.
“We’ve been working so hard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., some people with two or three jobs and not being able to afford it anyway because we’re missing an income,” said CASA leader Mercedes Escoto.
Many members of CASA are fighting their cases in housing court as they try to avoid eviction. Some have applied for the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, but still feel it isn’t enough.
“We don’t have no support whatsoever from the city, we’re going to have to take matters into our own hands to be able to fix this issue,” said Escoto.
CASA is holding an eviction-free Bronx campaign meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday at 35 Marcy Place.