8 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 28, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Queens residents will spend 51.6 percent of their income on rent in 2016, study says BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua This year, Queens residents will face the highest increase in median rent-to-income ratio, making it harder to fi nd affordable rental units. According to a study by StreetEasy, the median rent-to-income ratio in Queens increased from 43.5 percent to 51.6 percent between 2015 and 2016, meaning residents will have to spend more than half of their annual income on rent. Overall, the study, titled The State of New York City Rent Affordability, found that renters in New York City will spend 65.2 percent of their income on rent in 2016, up from 59.7 percent in 2015. Queens neighborhoods that saw some of the highest ONSITE DOCTORS • EYE EXAMS • CONTACTS • 1 HOUR SERVICE • VISION PLANS ACCEPTED • SUNGLASSES • LOWEST PRICES st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place WE ARE A GVS & DAVIS VISION PROVIDER S p r i n g I n t o S a v i n g s ! BAY TERRACE SHOPPING CENTER 211-51 26 AVENUE • BAYSIDE, NY 11360 718.631.3699 *FREE Eye Exam with the purchase of glasses. Contact Lens Exam and fitting add’l. *See store for details. $8999 NO-LINE BIFOCAL EYEGLASSES Includes: EYE EXAM, No-Line Bifocal Lenses & Frame Select frame with select clear plastic no-line bifocal lenses\ +/- 4 sph., 2cyl. up to 2.50 add. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. Offer valid at this location only. Expires 5/7/16 $99 DISPOSABLE CONTACTS Includes: EYE EXAM, 2 Boxes of Lenses Clear Soft brand clear sphericalLenses/ *Contact lens fitting additional. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. Expires 5/7/16 $6999 2 PAIRS OF EYEGLASSES Includes: EYE EXAM,Frames & Lenses Select frames with clear plastic, single vision lenses+/- 4 sph., 2 cyl. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details Expires 5/7/16 $100 OFF Buy 1 Pair of Prescription Glasses and GET 2nd Pair FREE Includes: EYE EXAM. (From select group) Some restrictions apply. See Store for details. In stock items only. Expires 5/7/16 Varilux Progressive Lenses Includes: EYE EXAM (no-line Bifocals) w/metal frames $16599 Select frames with clear plastic no line lenses +/-4 sph., 2 cyl. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. Expires 5/7/16 increases were Murray Hill, Long Island City and Jamaica. Alarmingly, Queens also faces the highest disparity between rent price growth and income growth. The study found that rent price in the borough is expected to grow by 19.2 percent, while income is expected to grow just 0.4 percent. Brooklyn continues to be the least affordable borough, with households spending 65.4 percent of their total annual income on median market-rate rent in 2016. New York City residents are acutely aware of this increase. According to a survey conducted by WNYC Radio, the second-largest concern for residents behind the cost of living is the high cost of housing. “With a rental vacancy rate below 3.5 percent, the supply of rental housing across the city is extremely low, which places upward pressure on prices and even more competition among renters,” said StreetEasy data scientist Alan Lightfeldt. “There’s policy momentum in place here, but addressing the supply side is only half the battle.” Programs aimed at addressing slow income growth must be implemented in tandem with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 10-year affordable housing plan, the study recommended. Only then will the median rent-toincome ratio be less burdensome for residents. Queens is getting a new multimillion-dollar animal shelter, mayor announced BY KATARINA HYBENOVA [email protected]/@kamelka Queens will fi nally receive a fullservice animal shelter of its own. Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement on Tuesday in revealing his executive budget proposal for fi scal year 2017. Queens animal lovers will be happy to hear that the budget sets aside $10 million to build two brand-new animal shelters in Queens and in the Bronx. This investment also marks the largest contribution in the animal shelter system since the city began operation of the shelters in the 1990s. “Our animal shelters deliver services to upwards of 35,000 animals. These two new shelters in Queens and in the Bronx – boroughs that combined see more than 14,000 cats and dogs – will increase the city’s bandwidth to ensure that all missing, homeless and abandoned animals within the city receive the care they need. These shelters also will offer direct adoption because we know how much New Yorkers love their pets, especially those in need of a home,” de Blasio said. The investment will enable the land acquisition and design necessary for two state-of-the-art, full-service shelters. The city operates three full-service animal shelters located in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Queens and the Bronx currently have only animal admissions centers, which in 2014 received 5,834 dogs and 9,238 cats combined. Full-service animal shelter in Queens will be able to provide medical treatment for relinquished animals, house missing animals and offer direct animal adoptions. Animal shelters as well as animal admissions centers are operated by a nonprofi t Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), contracted by the de Blasio administration. “This important funding will go a long way toward helping ACC deliver a level of care and protection that New York City animals both need and deserve,” said Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “In particular, this money may fi nally bring full-service shelters to the Bronx and Queens, dramatically improving the chances for local animals to get adopted and fi nd safe and loving homes. As longtime supporters of ACC and the city’s vulnerable animals, we thank the mayor for including the funding in his executive budget.” ASPCA spokesperson also noted that the organization granted more than $8.2 million to ACC as well as the Alliance for NYC’s Animals, which is a coalition of more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters working with ACC to help the city’s homeless pet population. The grant has supported efforts to increase adoptions, provide critical veterinary and wellness services, and offer vital services to pets and people in underserved communities. Allie Taylor, executive director of NYCLASS, a nonprofi t animal advocacy group dedicated to changing New York City’s laws to protect animals, which is currently dedicated to the ban on NYC horse carriages, said, “NYCLASS believes that the greatest city in the world deserves a worldclass animal shelter system – with full-service shelters in every borough. With this investment, Mayor de Blasio has stepped forward and honored his commitment not only to help reduce inequality across the city, but also to strengthen our communities for all New Yorkers, two-legged and four-legged.”
QC04282016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above