We are pleased to announce a new working paper, “Racial Justice and the Right to Remain,” by Oksana Miranova, Samuel Stein, and Gianpaolo Baiocchi.

The Case for Good Cause Eviction Protection

Good Cause eviction laws protect tenants from excessive rent increases and arbitrary evictions. New York State’s Good Cause Eviction bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Pam Hunter and Senator Julia Salazar, will positively impact some four million tenants in New York State. Good Cause gives tenants the right to remain, a fundamental need for families and a necessity for the long-term success of neighborhoods. Tenants will benefit across the state from Queens and Yonkers, to Rochester and Buffalo.

Passing Good Cause is crucial for bringing racial justice to housing, and will disproportionately benefit tenants of color, particularly Black tenants. More than two-thirds of Black families in New York State rent. Among renters, Black households are the most vulnerable to eviction, the most likely to experience discrimination from landlords, and the ones most likely to be displaced when neighborhoods change. High rents and gentrification have had a devastating impact on Black communities in New York State. Good Cause is an important step in promoting community stability and combatting displacement, both because it would extend protections for renters, among whom Black New Yorkers are over represented, and bolster the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

The full text of the paper is here