If you are a low-income New Yorker in danger of losing your housing because of an eviction, there are many organizations that can assist you with legal representation, social services, and information about your rights.
LEGAL REPRESENTATION
The LawHelp website provides family and single adult tenants with a list of non-profit legal services providers that offer representation for those facing eviction. Providers are available to represent clients with the following issues:
- Eviction proceedings
- Private Housing
- Public Housing & Publicly Subsidized Housing
- Foreclosure, Predatory Lending & Home Loans
- Housing Discrimination
- Jiggetts or other forms of rental assistance
- Rent Regulation/SCRIE Problems
- Apartment Repairs
- Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Housing
- Tenant Group Representation
The website is equipped with a zip-code locator so you can find an organization that serves your neighborhood.
SOCIAL SERVICES
The LawHelp website provides family and single adult tenants with a list of social services agencies and other resources that can help families maintain stability and avoid eviction. Services provided by these agencies include:
- Tenant/landlord conflict resolution
- Education on a tenant’s rights and responsibilities
- Community-based financial counseling, debt consolidation, credit reports
- Help with forming a community block association
INFORMATION ABOUT HOUSING COURT
The LawHelp website provides family and single adult tenants with a wide variety of brochures and informational pamphlets to help demystify the Housing Court process. Examples of materials on the website include:
- Information on Housing Court procedures, including what to expect on your first day, and the different ways your case may be resolved
- A guide on how to serve court papers, including papers to start a case for repairs or to stop an eviction
- A summary of the rules and procedures involving military service and evictions
- Information on how public assistance can help you with rent arrears
- Top ten mistakes tenants make in housing court