Ulster County is currently facing a housing crisis that demands immediate attention. That’s why we’re calling upon the County Legislature, County Executive and municipal executives to take action now to ensure that all Ulster County residents have access to housing that is safe and affordable. We ask our elected officials to implement the following housing actions and reforms:

Our Demands for Ulster County and Kingston City Representatives:

1. Declare a Universal Eviction Moratorium—applicable to all stages of eviction—through the duration of the public health emergency to keep more renters safely in their homes.

2. Cancel all rent and mortgage payments for tenants, small businesses, and homeowners experiencing economic hardship through the duration of the public health emergency.  

3. Immediately conduct a Kingston city vacancy study and pass rent control in line with the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.

4. Commit to updating zoning laws and ordinances in collaboration with community stakeholders, including the Ulster County Coalition for Housing Justice.

5. Agree to a county-wide definition of “Affordable Housing” that is tied to the average hourly wage of renters in the county rather than Area Median Income.

6. To ensure low-income residents are not rent-burdened, commit to ensuring that Ulster County residents pay no more than 25% of monthly income towards rent and 5% towards utilities.

7. Ensure that at least 25% of all Ulster County housing meets the above definitions of affordable housing.

8. Prevent displacement and quickly re-house rent-burdened or homeless individuals through legislation and/or supplemental policies, including:

• Immediately greenlight the use of the lot at 615 Broadway to build tiny homes in order to provide housing for at least 30 unhoused individuals.

• Utilize a portion of incoming stimulus funds to purchase Chiz’s Heart Street Boarding House, which is being forced to close as of May 2021 due to its commercial sale. Following the model of the Patriots Project on Wurts Street, the project can be publicly owned, but operated by a non- profit.

• Work with the Kingston Land Trust to purchase current homes for sale in order to create affordable housing; transfer ownership of vacant, city-owned properties for immediate renovations and/or building of affordable housing.

• Provide funding and support (including necessary zoning allowances) for an Accessory Dwelling Unit program that enables community members to transform carriage houses and other structures on their property into affordable housing.

9. Incentivize landlords by offering tax abatements to those who:

• offer rents that conform to the aforementioned definition of “affordable housing”

• make improvements to dwellings while maintaining affordable housing status

• transform short-term rentals into affordable housing