The cover of the Right to Counsel Progress Report. Image Credit: NYC DSS.
The implementation of the program citywide happened ahead of the scheduled 2022 goal. On November 17, 2021, the de Blasio administration released the Right to Counsel Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2021. The Right to Counsel Program works to address the gap in access to legal representation for tenants in eviction cases. (read more…)
Governor Cuomo addressing the COVID-19 Crisis Image Credit:
Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
The State has taken several actions to protect residential and commercial tenants. On September 28, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the statewide moratorium on COVID-19 related residential evictions will be extended through January 1, 2021. The moratorium has been in effect since March 20th and has been extended multiple times. (read more…)
NYS Unified Court System Logo Image Credit: NY Courts
Execution of eviction warrants paused until October. On August 12, 2020, New York State Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks issued a memorandum revising the procedure for both residential and commercial eviction proceedings. Evictions proceedings filed after March 17, 2020, whether residential or commercial, will continue to be suspended. Eviction proceedings commenced prior to March 17, 2020, may resume with a few crucial caveats.
Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand
The Community Dispute Resolution Centers will be available in all five boroughs. On July 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity announced the start of a new mediation program for small landlords and tenants across the City. The Citywide Landlord-Tenant Mediation Project will provide both parties with an opportunity to resolve rent-related disputes outside of the housing court system to prevent evictions during the pandemic. (read more…)
529 West 29th Street. Image Credit: CityLaw
Landlord sought to evict disabled man who had set two fires in his apartment. Jose Reyes, who received social security disability benefits related to his mental illness, lived in a Section 8 housing building owned by 529 West 29th LLC. Reyes set two fires in the building within a period of three months. Reyes set the first fire in his bathtub where he had placed documents and personal papers because he was experiencing extreme anxiety about a possible identity theft. The second fire happened when Reyes was not at home; Reyes left flammable materials next to or on a lit gas stove. (read more…)
Council Members Vanessa Gibson and Mark Levine and activists celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the Right to Counsel bill in September 2018. The program will now be expanding to include more ZIP codes. Image Credit: Official NYC Council Photo by William Alatriste
The expansion provides free legal assistance for tenants in five additional ZIP codes. On December 13, 2019, the Mayor’s Office announced an expansion of the Right to Counsel program that provides free legal assistance to New Yorkers fighting eviction. The Right to Counsel program, implemented by a ZIP code by ZIP code approach, will be expanded to five more ZIP codes across the City. (read more…)
