Today’s Read: New York Becomes First City to Guarantee Lawyers to Tenants Facing Eviction Posted on August 14, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone In a tremendous victory for tenants at risk of displacement and homelessness, a new law will correct a longstanding imbalance in housing court by guaranteeing access to legal counsel for low-income New Yorkers facing eviction. Thanks to years of steadfast advo ..Read More
New York City Guarantees a Lawyer to Every Resident Facing Eviction Posted on August 14, 2017 by Kriston Capps in CityLab On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law an act that guarantees legal representation to any low-income resident facing eviction. This is the first law in the nation to establish a right to counsel in housing cases, the culmination of a pus ..Read More
New York Becomes First City to Guarantee Lawyers to Tenants Facing Eviction Posted on August 11, 2017 by Ashley Dejean in Mother Jones Randy Dillard is a single parent with five children in the Bronx. In 2013, he became so sick with emphysema he had to be hospitalized for about two months. Upon returning home, Dillard’s landlord served him eviction papers. “That’s when my nightmare bega ..Read More
How to Register to Vote in the Upcoming NYC Primary, Even if You’re Homeless Posted on August 9, 2017 by Mary Frost in Brooklyn Daily Eagle Don’t Delay: Deadline is Aug. 18 The Tuesday, Sept. 12 primary is an important one in Brooklyn, with candidates for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, Brooklyn borough president, Brooklyn district attorney and a number of City Council members appearing on ..Read More
Disability Rights Alert: Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action Concerning Access to Shelter for Individuals with Disabilities in the New York City Department of Homeless Services Shelter System Posted on August 9, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone UPDATE: At the September 7th fairness hearing, Judge Robert W. Sweet signed the settlement. This is a tremendous victory for New Yorkers with disabilities throughout the shelter system! Read the statement of Coalition for the Homeless in support of the Stipula ..Read More
This Non-Profit Is Changing the Stigma About New York’s Homeless Population Posted on August 4, 2017 by Cayte Bosler in Vice Tonight, over 61,000 people in New York City will fall asleep in a municipal shelter. Of those, roughly 15,000 are single adults, with an approximate ratio of one female for every three males; 15,200 are families of primarily female-led households, including ..Read More
Advocates Charge NYPD Cops Swoop in to Bust Homeless Shelter Residents on Old Warrants Posted on August 3, 2017 by Erin Durkin in New York Daily News Homeless advocates slammed the NYPD’s sweeps of homeless shelters to nab residents with open arrest warrants. Advocates charge that at least seven times this year, cops have showed up at shelters to make arrests. “It is a waste of time. It is a waste of po ..Read More
The Cities Where Rent Hikes Leave the Most People Homeless Posted on August 3, 2017 by Patrick Clark in Bloomberg When the rent rises 5 percent in Atlanta, another 83 people become homeless. In New York, about 3,000 do. In a new study, Zillow compared its own estimates for median rent increases in major U.S. cities with homelessness data published by the U.S. Department o ..Read More
Coalition for the Homeless Calls for an End to Warrant Sweeps in Shelters Posted on August 2, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone Today, Coalition for the Homeless joined The Legal Aid Society, other legal services providers and advocates, and homeless New Yorkers for a news conference at which we called on the City to immediately end the punitive and counter-productive practice of condu ..Read More