A report from Syracuse’s City Auditor finds opting in to the state’s good cause eviction law could help address the growing homelessness crisis. Data from Alexander Marion's report called "There's No Place Like Home" shows the problem is especially acute among families. Overall homelessness in Syracuse has spiked 63 percent since 2019, and surged 192 percent among families.
Sal Curran is Executive Director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Central New York, which handles all manner of eviction cases.
“I'm a city resident myself and I have to tell my son when he goes into school there are kids in your classroom that don't know where they're sleeping tonight,” Curran said.
More than 60 percent of Syracuse residents are renters, and many live in poverty, putting them at the mercy of landlords and the legal system. Curran says of the more than 2,000 evictions in Syracuse per year, roughly 500 are filed for no reason. She speaks from her experience working with tenants in housing court.
“What we see over and over again, the tenant says to the landlord, 'hey, the sewage is backed up in the basement. Hey, there are rats in my apartment. Can you please take care of this?' And within a couple of weeks, that landlord serves them a notice saying you have to get out of here or I'm going to increase your rent 100%," Curran said.
This scenario does not apply to responsible landlords.
The Good Cause Eviction Law says a landlord can’t retaliate against a tenant for asserting their right to habitable housing, including code violations. Megan Stewart with the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York says the new law could turn off the tap of people entering homelessness.
“Most people who are entering homelessness now at 75%, have never experienced this before in their lives," Stewart said. "This is not people who filter in and out of a system because of mental illness or drug substance use. These are people who simply cannot afford the rent anymore or are being evicted for no reason.”
City Auditor Alexander Marion says good cause shouldn’t be a problem for responsible landlords.
"This is not a ban on all evictions. This is not a moratorium on evictions. This is not a ban on all rent increases," Marion said. "No, this just creates some guardrails and a reasonable process to follow to make sure people have safe stable homes going forward.”
The Syracuse Common Council was considering opting in to Good Cause Eviction Law, but wants to hear from the public first. Seven other cities have opted in, including Albany, Poughkeepsie, and Ithaca.
