QUEENS — As rents continue to increase throughout Queens, and Jamaica is being pegged as the next New York City hot spot, tenants in the area are increasingly at risk of being priced out.
Next Tuesday, they will get a chance to learn their rights during Tenant Resource Fair, hosted by local elected officials and city agencies.
During the fair, locals will be able to talk to housing experts and “get individual help,” according to Councilman Daneek Miller, who will co-host the free event along with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development and Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica.
Among the issues scheduled to be discussed will be rent protection for seniors and the disabled, rights of lessees of rent-regulated units, housing discrimination, harassment and Housing Court.
Residents will also be able to learn about affordable housing in the area and lotteries for affordable rental units, an issue which Miller said is extremely important in the neighborhood, as it undergoes numerous changes.
"As people are being relocated and displaced, there is real concern about housing availability," Miller said.
"Vulnerable populations from our community must have access to quality housing opportunities," he also noted. "The way we do this is through such tenant resource fairs and housing programs, including SCRIE and DRIE which offers rent freezes for our seniors and those with disabilities."
The fair will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Harvest Room, located inside the Jamaica Market, at 90-40 160th St. in downtown Jamaica, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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