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December 30, 2021

Buffalo News: "Community leaders, organizations reveal their wish lists for Mayor Brown's fifth term"

By: Deidre Williams | December 30, 2021 As Mayor Byron Brown readies for a fifth term, community leaders and organizations are preparing their own wish lists for what they hope to see him accomplish over the next four years. Concern for tenants tops some of the lists. The mayor needs to give …

December 26, 2021

Buffalo News: "Another Voice: Buffalo tenants need protection from Good Cause bill"

By: Tanvier Peart | December 26, 2021 As a challenging year comes to a close and spirits begin to sink with no end in sight for the Covid-19 pandemic, tenants struggling to pay their rent in Buffalo face a treacherous new year. While Americans struggle with inflation, the statewide eviction …

February 3, 2021

City Passes Landmark Inspection Amendments to Improve Investor-Owned Housing

By Sarah Wooton | In November 2020, the City of Buffalo took a major step to improve housing conditions in Buffalo. Investor-owned singles and doubles will now be subject to regular inspections. To rent their properties, investors will have to get Certificates of Rental Compliance, which must be …

February 2, 2021

WBFO: "Housing Justice For All coalition going door-to-door, as hardship deadline nears"

By Mike Desmond | February 2, 2021 An array of local social change groups says the effects of the continuing pandemic show the need for basic changes, from housing payments for the homeless to restrictions on evictions. The first sign of their push for change is starting now: door-to-door activity …

November 17, 2020

PPG's Comments on Proposed Proactive Rental Inspection Legislation in the City of Buffalo

On November 17, 2020, the Buffalo Common Council Legislation Committee discussed ordinance amendments that would create proactive interior rental inspections in the City of Buffalo. PPG Community Researcher Sarah Wooton shared the following remarks during the session.

May 6, 2020

Policy Solutions for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Buffalo-Niagara

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. On Thursday, April 30, Partnership for the Public Good and the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, in collaboration with ANCHOR, hosted a Buffalo Commons Community Conversation on policy solutions for COVID-19 response and recovery. The discussion …

April 3, 2020

Already ‘a Crisis Before the Pandemic,’ Access to Water Should Be Top Priority

While access to water is increasingly recognized as a basic human right, “access to and affordability of clean, healthy water was a national crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic, including right here in Western New York,” said Rahwa Ghirmatzion, Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo. This …

April 3, 2020

Read the Full Transcript: Press Conference on Water Access During COVID-19

This transcript is from the 4/2/2020 10am press conference urging the City of Buffalo to proactively restore water services to Buffalo residents amidst the COVID-19 crisis.  Speakers include: Rahwa Ghirmatzion (Executive Director, PUSH Buffalo), Andrea Ó Súilleabháin …

March 25, 2020

Working for the Public Good in a Time of Crisis

At Partnership for the Public Good, we have refocused our work to respond to the Coronavirus crisis and the many urgent needs it raises across health, housing, and economy. Our partners are addressing these impacts head-on, and we’re listening to their concerns and challenges to ensure …

March 8, 2020

Buffalo News: "Rising home values: As investors cheer, low-income owners despair"

"Real estate in our city has changed drastically in the past few years, and for some homes, assessments have tripled or even quadrupled," said Sarah Wooton, a policy analyst at the Partnership for the Public Good and an organizer with the Buffalo Property Tax Coalition. "This is great news if …

March 5, 2020

Spectrum News: "PUSH Buffalo, Partnership for Public Good Challenge City Eviction Rates"

By Fadia Patterson | March 5, 2020  There are more than 65,000 rental units occupied in Buffalo right now. According to a new study, more than half of those tenants can barely afford to make ends meet. The Partnership for Public Good released a more than 50 page report …

March 4, 2020

Buffalo News: "Buffalo eviction rates have reached 'astonishing' levels, report says"

By Caitlin Dewey | March 4, 2020 Tenant eviction rates have long been high in Buffalo, one of the poorest cities in the country. But according to a report released Wednesday by the think tank Partnership for the Public Good, court-ordered evictions and other involuntary …