Brooklyn Tenants Face Coronavirus Rent Squeeze

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — No job, no unemployment and little end in sight to the coronavirus crisis spells trouble for Crown Heights tenants like Ana Piccinino as April 1 looms.

That's the day rent is due for Piccinino and — like countless other out-of-work New Yorkers — she's unlikely to be able to pay.

"Most of the people cannot pay rent," she said. "I have two friends who are not going to pay rent this month because they don’t have it."

Tenants, housing advocates and elected officials have called for a moratorium on rent during the coronavirus outbreak. They've spread hashtags like #RENTFREEZENYC, organized rent strikes and proposed 90-day rent suspensions to ease the burden on New Yorkers.

But no broad measures have taken hold and many argue a halt on mortgage payments ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo doesn't help tenants.

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For Piccinino, the coronavirus outbreak's timing couldn't have been worse. She lost her job of seven years as an advertising agency's art director in December.

Her severance prevented her from collecting unemployment until March 22 — smack in the middle of job losses caused by a "stay-at-home" order designed to stop the coronavirus' spread.

Piccinino said tried to file online, only to run into website problems and an instruction to talk to a representative.

On Monday, she said she called unemployment 300 times — and that's not a typo.

"One of those calls went through, they put me on hold and they hung up on me," she said.

Cuomo during a Tuesday news conference acknowledged the unemployment system was not working "smoothly" and apologized. Officials normally receive about 50,000 calls a week on unemployment — there were 1.2 million alone on Monday, he said.

Piccinino also saw freelance jobs in the art field completely dry up and fears she won't receive child support for her two children.

She plans to hold off on paying rent for her apartment at Lincoln Place and Franklin Avenue.

Her neighbor Jennifer Cariddi is a little luckier. She'll be able to pay rent for at least three months through a combination of savings and her brother, a construction worker, moving in with her.

"I'm not one of the tenants who is really concerned about meeting rent," she said.

But Cariddi acknowledged some uncertainty. She opened a retail store on Dec. 31 but had to close it as the coronavirus spread. She's hoping for the best as she shifts her business online, but with no end in sight to the coronavirus outbreak she doesn't know what will happen.

"We’re just waiting for the state or the government to reassure us a little bit," she said. "Everyone is scared right now, it's hard to say."

Piccinino has watched friends choose between paying rent or child support. She also hopes for more reassurance from elected officials.

"Expediting the unemployment procedures, that would help a lot," she said. "Forgiving rent this month and using deposits to pay rent could be an option."

Cuomo gave no definite answer when he was asked Tuesday what renters will do if they owe back rent from during the coronavirus outbreak.

"We'll deal with that when we get to it," he said.

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