Despite the fact that the Flower City was recently named among the top 30 U.S. cities for post-pandemic living, Rochester renters have made it clear that coronavirus-related economic hardship could impact their ability to stay in their homes.
Business Insider recently analyzed a list of 380 metro areas throughout the nation with nine metrics in mind for quality of life after COVID-19, including work-from-home abilities, pre-pandemic unemployment rates, population density, monthly household expenditures, commutes, school spending, higher education degrees, and housing affordability. Rochester was ranked as number seven on the list, largely for its remote workforce capabilities and student enrollment.
But although many of Rochester’s available jobs could potentially be performed from home, it’s clear that a substantial portion of residents are either out of work or are experiencing economic windfall due to the pandemic. Although Rochester’s costs of living are nowhere near what you’d find in the New York City area (where the average cost of a Manhattan condo reached $1.9 million in 2017), many residents are still having trouble paying for basic housing costs.
Although New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the rent moratorium through August 20 of this year, that doesn’t mean that tenants can get a break on paying their rent. Until late summer, those who can offer proof that their financial situation has changed due to COVID cannot be evicted — but they’re still responsible for making payments. And while roughly 33% of renters move every year, recent data suggests that rent prices in Rochester are on the upswing, with the cost of the average one-bedroom apartment showing 15% increases year-over-year.
Understandably, that has many advocates worried about how tenants will fare coming out of the pandemic. There may be a house fire that takes place every 86 seconds in the U.S., but that isn’t the only disaster that can displace residents. During a recent City Council meeting, concerns were expressed about the potential crisis that might occur once the eviction moratorium expires. When they were presented with a new study from the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development that featured data from the last decade of Rochester eviction proceedings, Council members had to stop and take notice. According to the study, over 73,000 evictions were filed between 2010 and 2019 — 93% of which were due to non-payment of rent.
As Council President Loretta Scott noted, “I’m really concerned about the numbers that will be piling up in the courts when the moratorium is lifted. If we have any options, we need to address them.”
Several members had suggestions, which included commuter taxes (to be used as tenant emergency funds) and federal assistants. Local housing advocates believe that the Council has the power to instruct landlords to work with their tenants, rather than putting them out on the street as soon as protections expire. Numerous community members also believe that defunding the Rochester Police Department and reallocating funds could allow rent to actually be canceled for tenants in order to provide relief. But that possibility isn’t looking too likely after the Rochester City Council approved only a 4% cut in funding to the Rochester PD earlier this week.
Barbara Rivera, a City-Wide Tenant Union organizer, pointed out that many Rochester renters don’t have a safety net or alternative options to turn to if they’re evicted; instead, Rivera explained, they’re likely to end up in homeless shelters. And while certain measures have been passed in the New York State Legislature to direct $100 million from the CARES Act towards rental assistance, those funds would apply mostly to low-income tenants and might represent a mere drop in the bucket.
Ultimately, Rochester residents will have to continue to put pressure on City Councilmembers and other representatives to secure any kind of protection after the August deadline comes and goes. Without any kind of widespread cooperation, Rochester might face a notable increase in its homeless population and ongoing financial hardship among renters.
