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: getting repairs done safely during the pandemic.
Please click the link below at 6pm to join the Zoom webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82637698362?pwd=aFJuRWEwejkrb1pURGtSaThkY1ptdz09
Passcode: 2021
Or, phone: 1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 826 3769 8362#
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.)
- Take Root Justice Housing Hotline at (929) 506-0303
- 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
The NYS Eviction Moratorium has been extended to January 15th, 2022.
Important: tenants can still be evicted in certain cases. Read our overview of the moratorium here.
Tenants facing eviction must submit a declaration of pandemic-related hardship. Landlords can challenge these declarations in certain cases. Visit Eviction Free NY to learn more and use their online tool which automatically sends the hardship declaration to housing court, and your landlord, at no cost.
Tenants whose eviction cases are scheduled for appearance in Housing Court --including hearings about Hardship Declarations-- have access to free legal services, regardless of ZIP code, under NYC’s right-to-counsel law.
- Call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline
- Visit the NYC Human Resources Administration’s Office of Civil Justice online at www.nyc.gov/civiljustice
- Call Housing Court Answers at (718) 557-1379
- Find additional free legal services on our website, by looking under "Housing"
NYS Emergency Rental Assistance (ERAP)
Eligible tenants may seek up to 12 months of rental and utility arrears assistance, as well as three prospective months of rent, via the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Click here to learn about eligibility and apply.
- Tenants are eligible to apply for ERAP regardless of immigration status if their household income is below 80% of "area median income," which you can look up here.
- Either a landlord or tenant may initiate an ERAP application. All applications require documentation from both the landlord and tenant to be deemed complete and to be reviewed for payment of arrears and other expenses.
- Click here for guidance in cases when the application is initiated by the tenant and a landlord does not or refuses to provide necessary information.
NYCHA residents no longer have to fill out the ERAP application – they can authorize NYCHA to apply for ERAP on their behalf via NYCHA's online portal. Detailed instructions for the portal are available here, or please contact your property management office for assistance.
NYCHA residents who have already submitted an ERAP application should email their ERAP application number, along with their first name, last name, date of birth, development name, and their nine-digit account number, to [email protected] so NYCHA can complete the application with the State.
For assistance with the ERAP application: call New York State at 844-NY1-RENT (844-691-7368; or the TTY phone number, 833-843-8829, for the hearing impaired).
If you live in Manhattan, the two organizations below are designated ERAP "enrollers" and can also provide assistance.
- Call Catholic Charities Community Services at 888-744-7900. Click here for detailed information about how Catholic Charities can assist you, as well as important application checklists for tenants and landlords.
- Call University Settlement at 212-453-4500.
Application Tips: TakeRoot Justice has prepared a very helpful:
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].
- Met Council is assisting constituents with the ERAP application. Learn more here.
- 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.
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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