NEW YORK CITY — Donnette Leftord, a Flatbush mom of three and an undocumented New Yorker, wouldn't pay her $1,700 month rent next month even if she could. She's one of thousands taking part in a rent strike on May 1.

"There is no way I can pay rent going forward from here," said Letford. "How are we going to manage to pay?" Housing advocates hope as many as one million New Yorker will participate in the May 1 rent strike to pressure Gov. Andrew Cuomo to cancel rent for the duration of the stay-in-place order — extended Thursday to May 15 — and through June.



Their demands also include a rent freeze for 2020 and housing for about 92,000 New York City dwellers currently without homes.

So far, 2,166 renters and tenant leaders from buildings with about 1,100 apartments have signed up for May 1's rent strike, according to Housing Justice For All organizer Cea Weaver.

An additional 10,000 New Yorkers have requested access to the group's rent strike toolkit, Weaver said. Winsome Pendergrass, a Upstate/Downstate Housing Alliance organizer and Brooklyn renter, hopes New Yorkers who can pay their rent will refuse to do it in solidarity with those who cannot.

"We want tenants to come on board," Pendergrass said. "We don't want anyone thinking they're going on the street corner."

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

The economic impact of COVID-19 and a tristate shutdown remain unclear, but politicians and economists have repeatedly warned New Yorkers to prepare themselves for a financial climate akin to the Great Depression.

Both Mayor Bill de Blasio — who released his greatly reduced "wartime" city budget Thursday — and Gov. Cuomo report their governments are "broke."