Rally For Lower Rent

With luxury condominiums sprouting up throughout the neighborhoods of Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, residents and housing advocates rallied last week for affordable options to the high-priced developments.
About 50 people gathered in front of a newly-completed building of costly condos in Corona on 108th Street, where residents say that the rent has steadily gone up, putting economic strain on the area’s low-income residents and seniors.
“Enough with the tax credits for developers catering to the wealthy,” said Margaret Chin, deputy executive director for the Asian Americans for Equality. “We are demanding that [city subsidized] developments have a substantial number of affordable housing apartments,” she said.
According to a study conducted last year by the Asian Americans for Equality (one of 20 community groups that comprise the newly-formed Queens for Affordable Housing), 85 percent of seniors are paying more than 50 percent of their income for rent, with some paying up to 85 percent. The group also found that more than 62 percent of seniors in Flushing are living in overcrowded conditions.
“I have a lot of seniors who come to the office because they cannot afford their rent,” said Maria Ocasio, from Woodside on the Move, another community group that joined Queens for Affordable Housing. “Social Security is not enough money for rent. How can they pay for their other expenses?”