Today, Partnership for the Public Good, People United for Sustainable Housing, the Center for Elder Law and Justice, and Housing Opportunities Made Equal filed a lawsuit against the City of Buffalo for failing to implement its proactive rental inspection program.
Today, 80 local physicians and other medical professionals, along with the New York State Chapter 1 of the American Academy of Pediatrics, joined together with one voice to urge City of Buffalo leaders to protect Buffalo’s children and fully implement the Proactive Rental Inspections law …
Harold McNeil | May 15, 2024 Housing Opportunities Made Equal, or HOME, is a local nonprofit agency that helps tenants deal with housing issues, among the most prevalent of which is unsafe housing conditions, according to Steven Haagsma, education manager for the agency. It's why he and a …
Nate Benson | May 3, 2024 The City of Buffalo owns roughly 7,000 vacant properties, according to Mayor Byron Brown's State of the City address. There are an additional 9,000 privately owned vacant properties in the city as well. There are 15,000 vacant properties in total. "That's …
Buffalo News Editorial Board | April 27, 2024 It’s time to look forward. We’re expecting ideas and projects that will move Buffalo in a robust, innovative direction, as well as discussion of improvements in services and infrastructure when Mayor Byron W. Brown presents his State of the …
Buffalo News Editorial Board | April 14, 2024 Finding and fixing problems in aging rental units before it’s necessary to use punitive enforcement is a great idea. Making that policy a law? Even better. But laws need to be implemented and the city of Buffalo’s reluctance to fully …
In cities across the United States, everyday people are working to transform our democracy by strengthening their voices in local government, shaping an economy that works for all, and reimagining public safety and health. They are organizing locally to imagine and build a new future where people …
Deidre Williams | April 9, 2024 Three years ago when Buffalo launched a Proactive Rental Inspections program, it was the city’s latest attempt to solve a lead poisoning problem that has plagued Buffalo’s old housing stock for decades. Mayor Byron W. Brown said it would help the city …
We prepared this memo for the Buffalo Common Council to explore potential funding options for the Proactive Rental Inspection (PRI) program. It discusses modestly increasing the city's rental registry fee, using American Rescue Plan funds, and several other funding options. We sent this memo along …
On March 14, 2024, Commissioner Cathy Amdur of the Dept of Permits and Inspections submitted a report to the council (download) about the status of Proactive Rental Inspections program. On March 28, PPG submitted the following letter to the council in response to the Commissioner's report. We …
We sent the following letter to the Buffalo Common Council in response to the Legislation Committee's decision to ignore resolutions of support for a New York State affordable housing proposal. You can watch the video of the Council's discussion on this topic here, starting at 23:45.
The Editorial Board | March 8, 2024 A group of 39 community organizations had every right to be frustrated. Their members gathered in front of City Hall on a chilly February day to protest the continuing exposure of Buffalo’s children to toxic lead paint. Lead paint is mainly a problem …