City first in country to provide low-income tenants free counsel for wrongful evictions • TimesLedger
Courtesy of Mayor’s office/Edwin J. Torres Onlookers applaud after Mayor Bill de Blasio signs legislation that makes New York the first city in the nation to provide lawyers for low- income tenants facing wrongful evictions . By Bill Parry TimesLedger Newspapers Share on Twitter Tweet Share on Facebook Subscribe Get our stories in your inbox, free. Like TimesLedger on Facebook. Low-income New Yorkers facing wrongful eviction will be guaranteed legal representation in Housing Court after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation into law last Friday. The program, which is overseen by the Civil Justice Coordinator at the Human Services Administration , will serve 400,000 tenants when it is fully implemented in five years. “New York City will be the first city in the country to ensure anyone facing an eviction case can access legal assistance thanks to this new law,” de Blasio said. “New Yorkers should not lose their homes because they cannot afford a lawyer, and stopping wrongful evi...