Addabbo Partners with City Agency to Increase Awareness for Scrie and Drie Rent Freeze Programs

Howard Beach, NY (October 3, 2016) Last week, Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. was joined by local elected officials and representatives from the New York City Department of Finance to draw attention to two city initiatives aimed at helping to control rising rent prices for seniors citizens and disabled New Yorkers.

Addabbo was joined by members of the city Finance Department as well as Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, former Assemblywoman and current Queens County Clerk Audrey Pheffer and her daughter, Stacey Pheffer Amato, at the JASA Senior Center in Far Rockaway to announce new outreach efforts for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) programs. These two initiatives prevent eligible New Yorkers from being faced with a rent increase that could put those on a fixed income at risk of not be able to pay their rent.

“As the cost of living continues to rise across the nation, and especially here in New York City, it becomes more important than ever that we do our part to make sure senior citizens and individuals with disabilities are able to stay in their homes,” said Addabbo. “Through programs such as SCRIE and DRIE, thousands of New Yorkers and their families will be free from the burden of having to figure out how to pay an increased rent bill that could potentially shatter their strict budgets. These initiatives are essential to helping keep people in their homes, but they only work if the public knows about them.”

Addabbo noted that 80,000 seniors city-wide, including thousands in his district,  may be eligible for SCRIE, but are not taking advantage of the program, either because they are not aware of the exemptions or because they do not realize they are able to receive them. As part of his efforts to increase awareness for both programs, Addabbo’s office plans to visit residents throughout his district to explain the eligibility requirements and inform constituents who are able to receive the exemptions of where they can go to get help applying for the programs. The Senator also is seeking to promote sites where seniors can get more information or apply for SCRIE, such as his district offices or sites like the Maspeth Town Hall, located at 53-37 72nd Street in Maspeth.

“For many families, the financial assistance offered by these two programs can be the difference between having to choose between paying rent or buying food, and being able to do both,” Addabbo said. “I thank the Department of Finance for their outreach efforts to ensure that SCRIE and DRIE are applied to as many eligible New Yorkers as possible and for their commitment to bringing these vital resources right to my district. I look forward to working with the community to help provide my constituents with these rent increase exemptions and make sure that our aging population and those who have a disability can stay in their homes where they belong.”

For more information or to find out if you qualify for SCRIE or DRIE exemptions, contact Addabbo’s Middle Village Office at 718-497-1630.