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Bill would compel landlords to eradicate asthma triggers
In many of New York’s low-income buildings, asthma triggers, like mold and vermin, go undealt with. And that means that for many children, asthma is a housing issue that they city should fix, according to Coalition for Asthma-Free Housing worked with City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez.
Mendez submitted a bill dubbed the Asthma-Free Housing Act, which would compel landlords to take care of asthma triggers, according to City Lab. And while the bill was introduced three years ago, support for it has grown over time. Currently, 48 out of 51 council members support it and now the bill awaits a vote.
“These are equity issues,” Christine Appah, a senior staff attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and a member of the coalition, told City Lab. “The act would empower people who are disproportionately affected by these problems—people living in lower-income neighborhoods, minorities, and immigrants.”
“These are services that people living in higher-income areas and buildings would expect as a matter of courtesy, or would have the resources to purchase. The bill would help close that income and race gap,” Daniel Carpenter-Gold, a legal fellow who works with Appah, added.
[City Lab] —Christopher Cameron