Queens resident shares struggles to make ends meet as rents rise
NEW YORK - High rent costs are impacting people nationwide, especially in New York City.
It's been two years since Liza Meyers moved into her Forest Hills one-bedroom apartment, located near her parents experiencing health complications. But for all its convenience, it's getting harder to stay.
"I got the new lease, saw that it was being raised $230," she said. "I mean, what do you say to that? What do you do?"
The rent hike comes despite a vague, long-term construction project that is disrupting her quality of life.
"I can't afford to move right now," she said.
She says building management has shown little interest in her concerns. J.C. Dwight, Inc. did not respond to repeated inquiries from CBS New York.
"I feel like I'm going to have no future," she said. "Because how do I save money?"
She's not alone. New research from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies looked at 2022 census data and found that half of renters nationwide spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Another study from Douglas Elliman Real Estate found that median rent rose nearly 25% in northwest Queens from December 2022 to December 2023.
Whitney Hu with Churches United for Fair Housing argues that keeping New York affordable depends on the governor and state legislature.
"For the last few years, they have left Albany without any real tenant protections or trying to mitigate this rent increase," she said.
She and other housing justice advocates are pushing for state legislation including Good Cause Eviction and the Housing Access Voucher program, bills that could help safeguard New Yorkers against unreasonable rent hikes.
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