Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and several other central Brooklyn lawmakers yesterday applauded Mayor Bill de Blasio announcement that his administration is allocating $12.3 million to increase the availability of free legal representation in Housing Court for the homeless facing eviction or harassment.
Additionally, the City is re-launching its homeless prevention public awareness campaign, “Imagine”, to call attention to 15 communities in which residents are most likely to utilize homeless shelters. The campaign asks parents to imagine what it would be like to be homeless with their children. The hope is that families with children will seek prevention services, like HomeBase, before they are evicted, reducing the need for shelters. The campaign began in January and ended in April, appearing on television and in print, and was featured on buses, subways, and in check-cashing facilities.
With the additional $12.3 million, the Anti-Eviction Legal Services program will expand across the five boroughs. In Brooklyn, the services will reach the neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant, Bushwick and Crown Heights.
“I am grateful to Mayor de Blasio for committing additional funding for much-needed legal services that will help address our affordable housing challenges, particularly in underserved neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, and Crown Heights. I additionally encourage lawyers from across our city to offer pro bono services at legal services programs, like that which we offer at Brooklyn Borough Hall, that help tenants in need,” said Adams.
Families with children make up the largest proportion of the City’s shelter census, accounting for over 40,000 people, including 23,000 children, out of 57,000 people total. One of the leading causes of homelessness for families with children is eviction. 30 percent of household heads of families with children are employed. 46 percent of the household heads were employed within the past year. Women account for 91 percent of the heads of families with children.
“The brownstones of Bedford-Stuyvesant & Crown Heights may be sought after, but it’s the residents who make our community what it is. Not just homeowners, but tenants, who desire and deserve to stay in the community they’ve helped make great. Tenants struggling to avoid eviction by far dominate the constituent requests that come into my office. With these new resources, we’ll be even more effective in giving help. Tenants, hang on. Serious help is on the way,” said Bedford-Stuyvesant City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.
In FY15, more than 62,000 individuals were enrolled in HomeBase, a homelessness prevention program that provides resources to struggling families and individuals. Over 35,000 New Yorkers sought help through the City’s anti-eviction legal services and tenant protection program.
Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette Clarke noted that often low-income tenants enter Housing Court without a lawyer and are therefore constrained in presenting their arguments to the judge. “This program will allow 32,700 households each year to exercise their rights as tenants and in many instances avoid harassment or eviction,” she said.
Flatlands City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams said ending homelessness in New York City won’t be easy, but significantly increasing efforts to ensure that people don’t lose their homes to begin with is a good start.
“As Chair of the Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee, my goal has been to address our City’s housing crisis, so I commend Mayor de Blasio for drastically expanding legal services so that tenants facing eviction or harassment receive the help they need before it’s too late.” Williams said.
Fort Greene City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo noted that with more than 60,000 homeless New Yorkers and millions of tenants subjected to harassment or illegal eviction attempts, expanding access to legal services will be critical in curbing homelessness that predominantly affects women and children.
“The additional resources to the City’s homeless prevention legal services program will ensure that tenants’ rights are protected and affordable housing is preserved,” she said.
