Dear Neighbors,
We hope to see you at tonight's Virtual Housing Clinic, which begins at 6pm.
We will be joined by attorneys from TakeRoot Justice. Tonight's topic: latest updates on the NYS Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
Please click the link below at 6pm to join the Zoom webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81858294740?pwd=My83UnR1ZVdaTkFmUmpYNndUNHhMQT09
Passcode: 2021
Or, phone: 1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 818 5829 4740#
To submit a question for the attorneys, please click here.
The attorneys are reviewing the questions as they come in and will be addressing as many as possible. There will also be time during tonight's program to submit questions via Zoom's chat function.
Please be advised that tenants can contact these organizations for free housing-related legal advice. (Phone calls only.)
- Goddard Law Project at (212) 799-9638, x0
- Housing Conservation Coordinators at (212) 541-5996, Monday evenings, 7-9pm
- PALANTE Harlem, Inc. at (212) 491-2541 — English & Spanish spoken
- Legal Services NYC at (917) 661-4509 — serves residents city-wide in several languages
- Housing Court Answers hotline at (212) 962-4795, Monday thru Friday, 9am-5pm. Language interpreters available. Information on Housing Court / housing law, plus rent arrears assistance and homelessness prevention guidance. NYCHA tenants also assisted.
If you have additional questions, please contact our office at (212) 873-0282, x204 and leave a message for Anna Gago, Housing Director.
Important News for Tenants
COVID Rent Relief: Eligible tenants may seek up to 12 months of rental and utility arrears assistance, as well as three prospective months of rent, via the State's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
- Applications are being accepted now. Click here to learn more about eligibility and apply.
- Tenants are eligible to apply regardless of immigration status if their household income is below 80% of "area median income," which you can look up here.
- If you have an eviction case, it will be stayed while you apply, so you can't be evicted while your application is being processed.
For assistance with the application, call New York State at 844-NY1-RENT (844-691-7368). If you live in Manhattan, the two organizations below are designated ERAP "enrollers" and can also answer questions.
- Catholic Charities Community Services at 888-744-7900
- University Settlement at 212-453-4500
Other ERAP Resources
- Older adults and persons with disabilities can contact LiveOn NY for assistance with the ERAP application. Phone (212) 398-5045 or email [email protected].
- West Side Campaign Against Hunger is answering questions about the ERAP application. Contact them here.
- The NY Legal Assistance Group is answering questions about the ERAP application. Contact them here.
Eviction Moratorium
A reminder that Governor Cuomo has signed an extension of the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020 and the Protect Our Small Businesses Act, effectively extending New York’s eviction and foreclosure moratoriums through August 31, 2021.
Tenants facing eviction must submit a declaration of pandemic-related hardship. Tenants who do not submit such a declaration as a justification for non-payment of rent, or who create safety or health hazards for other tenants, can still be evicted. Renters can use Eviction Free NY, an online tool that automatically sends the hardship declaration to housing court as well as your landlord at no cost.
Please check our website for additional resources. We update it on a regular basis with information about public benefits, non-profit services, and health facts Upper West Siders have needed to get through this crisis.
We look forward to seeing and/or hearing from you tonight!
Warmly,
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