Olanike Alabi - NYS Assembly District 57

Why are you running and why are you the best candidate for tenants?

Now more than ever, we need leaders who will lead and representatives who will represent. We need individuals who can transcend ideology and philosophy and make things happen for the betterment of a community.

What are the top three priorities of your campaign?

Education, Healthcare and Housing

How do you define affordable housing?

I agree with many advocates that it "is housing that a household can pay for, while still having money left over for other necessities".

What do you consider the most important issue facing New York State in terms of housing supply and affordable housing, and how would you address it?

There is a shortage of real quality, safe and affordable housing. Expanding the housing stock, voucher system, passing Good Cause Eviction, and fully funding Right to Counsel along with ensuring that tax subsidies work for tenants and not developers are ways to address it.

If you had the power to enact one change to our rent and eviction protection laws, what would it be?

Expand rent stabilization and implement a baseline for eviction protection assistance programs.

If elected, what services and resources will you commit to help tenants organize and receive timely repairs?

Sponsor town hall meetings, legal clinics, workshops and regularly attend tenant association meetings.

The tenant leaders and staff at Tenants & Neighbors are predominantly Black and Brown women, and this is not just coincidence. Because of centuries of structural racism and ongoing discrimination in the housing market, people of color are far more likely than white Americans to face evictions and experience homelessness in the United States today. What is your plan to remedy these injustices and promote housing stability for communities of color?

On a regular basis I will host town hall meetings, legal clinics and workshops on Housing, but equally important, legislative advocacy is significant as it relates to raising awareness, lobbying and building coalitions.