Buffalo News Editorial Board | April 14, 2024 Finding and fixing problems in aging rental units before it’s necessary to use punitive enforcement is a great idea. Making that policy a law? Even better. But laws need to be implemented and the city of Buffalo’s reluctance to fully …
In cities across the United States, everyday people are working to transform our democracy by strengthening their voices in local government, shaping an economy that works for all, and reimagining public safety and health. They are organizing locally to imagine and build a new future where people …
Deidre Williams | April 9, 2024 Three years ago when Buffalo launched a Proactive Rental Inspections program, it was the city’s latest attempt to solve a lead poisoning problem that has plagued Buffalo’s old housing stock for decades. Mayor Byron W. Brown said it would help the city …
We prepared this memo for the Buffalo Common Council to explore potential funding options for the Proactive Rental Inspection (PRI) program. It discusses modestly increasing the city's rental registry fee, using American Rescue Plan funds, and several other funding options. We sent this memo along …
On March 14, 2024, Commissioner Cathy Amdur of the Dept of Permits and Inspections submitted a report to the council (download) about the status of Proactive Rental Inspections program. On March 28, PPG submitted the following letter to the council in response to the Commissioner's report. We …
We sent the following letter to the Buffalo Common Council in response to the Legislation Committee's decision to ignore resolutions of support for a New York State affordable housing proposal. You can watch the video of the Council's discussion on this topic here, starting at 23:45.
The Editorial Board | March 8, 2024 A group of 39 community organizations had every right to be frustrated. Their members gathered in front of City Hall on a chilly February day to protest the continuing exposure of Buffalo’s children to toxic lead paint. Lead paint is mainly a problem …
Uniting on the High Road: A Conference on Economic Justice at the Local Level will take place on June 20-22, 2024 in Buffalo, NY. Hosted by Cornell University ILR Buffalo Co-Lab and Partnership for the Public Good, with community and academic partners from across Buffalo and nationwide, the …
On February 13, 2024, we delivered a letter signed by a total of thirty-nine partners to Mayor Byron Brown and Department of Permits and Inspections Commissioner Cathy Amdur demanding that they implement the City's proactive rental inspection (PRI) law. This is the full text of that letter.
Dillon Morello | February 13, 2024 Community advocates and health professionals called on Buffalo leaders Tuesday to take action to reduce lead poisoning among children. They are also asking leaders to comply with the city’s rental inspections law, prompting the city to go back and forth with …
Thomas O'Neil-White | February 13, 2024 The City of Buffalo could face legal action if it does not comply with a law it enacted four years ago. The Proactive Rental Inspections Law was passed by the Common Council and put in place, in part, to reduce childhood lead poisoning due to lead-based paint …
Deidre Williams | February 13, 2024A group of 39 community organizations appealed to the City of Buffalo to inspect far more rental properties for toxic lead paint, as required by its own Proactive Rental Inspections local law. Since at least the early 1990s, Buffalo has ranked among the …