SCRIE and DRIE Reform

Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie

The Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) programs help rent-regulated, Mitchell-Lama, and HDFC tenants over age 62 or who have a disability and earn less than $50,000/year stay in their homes by freezing their rents. We are grateful that the Legislature is considering raising the income cap to $75,000, but further reforms are needed to help the many who are still excluded from the program and/or struggling with skyrocketing rents. As seniors and people with disabilities receive meager cost-of-living increases in income, many tenants become ineligible to receive these life-changing benefits. The income cap must be indexed to COLA. The programs are also inaccessible due to a lack of awareness and translation services.


Seniors and tenants with disabilities deserve to stay in our homes, and the SCRIE and DRIE programs have left many of our community members behind! Expanding SCRIE and DRIE will stop low-income tenants from being forced to choose between food, medicine, and housing. Seniors and tenants with disabilities are among the most vulnerable to displacement, and keeping us in our homes reduces shelter costs, hospital visits, and strain on social services.

I am calling on you to support bills that will:

  • Raise the income cap to $75,000 and index it to inflation so the program keeps pace with the cost of living.
  • Require notices to be sent to all eligible households to ensure every qualifying tenant knows about and can apply for these benefits.
  • Provide language access services so tenants can get information and apply in the language they understand best.
  • Allow municipalities to set rents at one-third of a tenant’s income, which will ensure rents are frozen at an affordable level.

Petition by
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Tenants & Neighbors
Long Island City, New York

To: Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie
From: [Your Name]

Seniors and tenants with disabilities deserve to stay in our homes, and the SCRIE and DRIE programs have left many of our community members behind! Expanding SCRIE and DRIE will stop low-income tenants from being forced to choose between food, medicine, and housing. Seniors and tenants with disabilities are among the most vulnerable to displacement, and keeping us in our homes reduces shelter costs, hospital visits, and strain on social services.

I am calling on you to support bills that will:
- Raise the income cap to $67,000 and index it to inflation so the program keeps pace with the cost of living.
- Require notices to be sent to all eligible households to ensure every qualifying tenant knows about and can apply for these benefits.
- Provide language access services so tenants can get information and apply in the language they understand best.
- Allow municipalities to set rents at one-third of a tenant’s income, which will ensure rents are frozen at an affordable level.

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