Over half of Buffalo’s tenants spend 30% or more of their income on rent. By U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development standards, that means the majority of Buffalo’s tenants are “housing cost burdened.”
In fact, almost a third of Buffalo’s tenants spend 50% or more of their income on rent; well surpassing the threshold of cost burden.
“We know that we have an affordable housing issue in many of our cities, and in particular here in Buffalo,” said Christopher Scinta, co-chair of the Buffalo Affordable Housing Task Force.
The temporary body of 11 members has been created by the Buffalo Common Council, and is charged with the responsibility of finding and proposing solutions to the housing affordability problem.
The task force held its first public input meeting this week as part of this process, and a range of community members shared their views and experiences regarding housing in the city.
“Housing in Buffalo specifically is horrid. Horrid, horrid, horrid,” said Deborah Brenner, who was the first to speak. Deborah is disabled and currently lives on Grand Island, but she is looking for a place to rent in the City of Buffalo.
“A lot of times landlords are telling people that they need three times the value of the rent as income. As somebody on Social Security disability who works part time, I don't make that.”
And Brenner is not alone in struggling to afford the rent.
Erie County has one of the highest numbers of eviction filings in the state, and is only surpassed by four New York City area counties: Bronx, Kings, New York, and Queens.
Most eviction filings in Erie County recorded since January 2019 are for “non-payment,” meaning a property owner has filed for eviction because a tenant has not paid the rent. The vast majority of those filings are for the City of Buffalo.
Some area landlords and developers attended Wednesday's meeting to share the challenges they are facing. Jason Rothschild is the Property Manager at Signature Development Buffalo, LLC.
“There are people that are really trying to operate a tight ship, as well as maintain the dignity of the property and the people,” Rothschild said. “Our expenses are just crazy high. The only way to keep a building sustainable, the only way to keep improvements happening, to make repairs, are sadly because of rent increases.”
Rothschild told those present that 20% of the company’s units are affordable housing, but said “everything from elevator maintenance, to insurance, to HVAC repairs, to plumbers, to also increasing pay for our maintenance staff has gone up,” which led to a 3% increase in rent.
But these increases could be offset if landlords were given help with repair costs according to Anna Falicov, Deputy Executive Director of Home HeadQuarters Inc.
“City policymakers could do well by setting aside additional funds for home repair, taking into account that they're expensive and need subsidy,” Falicov said, offering a solution for the task force to consider.
The taskforce will hold another public input meeting August 1, with location and time to be confirmed. The body will submit its first set of recommendations in October.
Members of the Buffalo Affordable Housing Task Force are:
- Sarah Wooten - representing Partnership for the Public Good (PPG)
- Micaela Shapiro-Shellaby - representing PUSH Buffalo
- Steven Haagsma - representing Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME)
- Edwin J. Jackson Jr. - representing Buffalo Urban League
- Hae Jin Kang Esq. - City of Buffalo Corporation Counsel
- Harold Caldwell - City of Buffalo Fair Housing Officer
- Heather Abraham
- Christopher Scinta - Co-chair
- Athenia Cyrus - Co-chair
- Divya Tandon
- Pedro J. Gonzalez-Ortiz.
