VIDEO: LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY LEADERS CALL ON GOV. HOCHUL TO TAKE REAL ACTION ON AFFORDABILITY CRISIS
Leaders Highlight Soaring Costs Of Living And Car Insurance Slamming Nassau County Drivers
LYNBROOK – Community leaders from across Long Island gathered today in Lynbrook to call on Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to take immediate action to address New York’s affordability crisis.
The event brought together faith leaders, advocates, business owners, and residents to highlight how rising costs for housing, food, utilities, and car insurance are pushing working families across Nassau and Suffolk Counties to the brink.
“Families on Long Island are being squeezed from every direction,” said Terri Arnold-McKenzie of the Urban League of Long Island. “Rising insurance premiums force households to cut back on basic necessities. Uninsured driving is increasing, leading to more hit-and-run accidents that put everyone at risk.Governor Hochul and Albany lawmakers must deliver bold action to bring relief and restore hope to communities like ours.”
“Neighbors are being crushed under the affordability crisis and it is getting heavier every single day,” said Kevin Livingston, Executive Director of 100 Suits. First it was food, then it was rent, then it was childcare, and now car insurance rates. Organizations like 100 Suits will always step in, we will always fill in the gaps but we cannot do this work alone. Today we are calling on our state leaders, step up, reform these systems and put working families first.”
Across New York State, auto insurance premiums have climbed nearly 40 percent above the national average, leaving many Long Island families choosing between essential coverage and basic household needs. Fraudulent and exaggerated claims – including staged car crashes, fake medical bills, and phony lawsuits – remain major drivers of these escalating costs.
Speakers emphasized that Long Island’s affordability crisis is part of a statewide emergency – but one that is hitting suburban drivers particularly hard. They urged Governor Hochul and the legislature to make affordability a top priority in the 2026 session, with concrete steps to lower costs and ensure economic stability for working and middle-class New Yorkers.
“As a small business owner in Nassau County, I see firsthand how rising costs are suffocating our local economy,” said Sagine Pierre Chalres, small business owner of Sage & Angie. “From rent to supplies to employee expenses, everything is going up – and skyrocketing auto and other insurance rates make it even harder to operate. It’s time for less political talk and more real action.”
Long Island leaders are joining a growing statewide coalition of community and business voices calling for anti-fraud reforms, stronger enforcement, and fairer insurance rates to bring auto insurance premiums down.