State Politicians Plan To Introduce Legislation To Prevent Rent Increase for New York City HIV/AIDS Welfare Housing

New York state Sen. Thomas Duane (D) and Assembly member Richard Gottfried (D) on Tuesday at a news conference criticized a mandate by the state to increase rent at government-subsidized housing for HIV-positive people, saying that they will introduce bills to prevent the increase and cap future increases, the New York Times reports. New York City Council member Bill de Blasio (D) also criticized the increase at the conference (Chan, New York Times, 10/11). City officials last week said that people living in the housing will be charged more for rent after the state required that changes be made to the payment formula effective Nov. 1. The nearly 2,200 HIV-positive people living in the housing pay 30% of their income, which comes from federal assistance, for rent. The new formula is not based on a percentage. Instead, people in the housing must pay all but $330 of their monthly income, which for many is more than half of what they receive in federal assistance (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/5). Duane, Gottfried and de Blasio said that the increase is a "heartless and shortsighted edict," according to the Times (New York Times, 10/11).