House fire sheds light on migrant housing crisis

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany house fire shedding light on a much larger crisis, overcrowded and dangerous living conditions for those seeking a better life in America. City leaders say they are doing all that can be done to help keep people safe.

All that remains now of 532 Morris Street is an empty lot and two dozen migrants who were all crammed into a single owner occupancy house that are now displaced. Officials tell NEWS10 this crisis is a growing concern across the city. 

“All the buildings are so close to each other, and one fire can start a fire for the whole neighborhood,” said Ward 10 Comon Council member, Owusu Anane.

Yet, the bigger concern is the migrant housing needs throughout the Capital Region.

“We've definitely seen an uptick in undocumented folks coming through United Tenants looking for assistance or even just a direction to go,” said Executive Director of Director United Tenants of Albany Inc.

Richard LaJoy, Director of the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance says he has noticed a developing concern by stating, “In their culture, where they are coming from, is very commonplace to have several family members in a property. So, they are not looking at it like a safety issue, they are looking at it like as we are all family and are habiting together.”

He says the city is addressing this concern and the neighborhood services department is out daily. “We are going to get some literature that we can hand in the different languages and were going to have conversations. It does tend to be somewhat sectioned areas of the city where we're seeing the influx of these folks,” said LaJoy.

He goes on to say this is not a form of punishment or about penalizing anyone. “It's truly about keeping people safe and free from harm,” said LaJoy.

And there are laws in place to keep tenants safe and landlords accountable. “A building or a unit has to have a residential occupancy permit and it's supposed to have both the landlord’s contact information and then this immediate contact which has to be within a 25-minute drive of the property,” said Canyon Ryan. He says the coding department is supposed to cite any property that is in violation of the law.

“This particular building, because we were never aware of it, was then rented out. The owner always claimed, even the son had claimed it was owner occupied. We did not know this building was being rented out until the night of the fire,” said LaJoy.

For now, the 24 migrants are being cared for at an emergency shelter set up by the American Red Cross and Victory Church. “This is what we do so we are not going to turn them away. Now with a lot of the motels filled up and you know it is a different dynamic. So, we got the call, and we are like let's do it. Let's help these people,” said Pastor Charlie Muller of Victory Church.

In the meantime, residents and neighbors are urged to say something if they see something and reach out to the city’s building and regulatory compliance office for more help.