Middletown Passes Good Cause Eviction, Becoming the Seventeenth Municipality to Opt In
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – On Tuesday, following extensive organizing by grassroots organization For the Many, the Middletown Common Council voted unanimously to adopt the strongest version of Good Cause Eviction, becoming the 13th upstate municipality and 17th in the state to expand tenant protections under a state law passed in 2024. The campaign for Good Cause Eviction in Middletown, the most populous city in Orange County, is For the Many’s ninth successful push for the measure in the Hudson Valley, making the organization responsible for over half of the Good Cause measures passed in the last year. Mayor Joseph M. DeStefano is expected to sign the city’s Good Cause measure into law at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 18th at Middletown City Hall.
“Far too many Middletown tenants have been working multiple jobs to make ends meet, only to live in fear that they are one rent hike away from being pushed out of their homes. Passing Good Cause Eviction in Middletown will keep families in their homes and make our city a safer, fairer, more affordable place to live,” said Jairo Perez Vargas, Orange County Community Organizer at For the Many and longtime Middletown resident. “Good Cause is one of the most straightforward ways to protect people from unreasonable evictions—and, because of the hard work our community did to organize for this law, the Common Council now unanimously agrees. These laws are popular for a reason. This is a huge win for Middletown.”
“As the housing crisis continues to displace Middletown families, Good Cause Eviction has become a necessary, commonsense protection for renters. I’m proud to see the City of Middletown adopt this law and take this important step to support our residents,” said Sparrow Tobin, Fourth Ward Alderman for the Middletown Common Council. “Nearly half of the people who live in Middletown are tenants, an unacceptable number of whom face housing insecurity and the threat of eviction without cause. Under Good Cause, landlords will still be able to address real lease violations, but tenants will now have assurance that they can’t be forced out arbitrarily—because all Middletown residents deserve to feel safe and secure in their homes.”
