“Tenants, united, you will never be defeated.”
The home of Ana Gálvez, where she lives with her eleven-year-old daughter in the Bronx, is just one of an estimated 200,000 who is at risk of eviction for not being able to pay rent in New York.
This Mexican mother tells of losing her job as a waitress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unknowingly, she claims, she was sent to court by her landlord.
“My first reaction was frustration. I cried. I screamed,” Gálvez said.
Six years ago, a coalition of legislators led by the now Bronx Borough President, Vanessa Gibson, and Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, managed to pass a law aimed at informing people like Gálvez of their rights and Provide the opportunity to have a lawyer.
However, according to politicians and tenants gathered near City Hall this Monday, tens of thousands of New Yorkers are currently facing eviction orders and going through courts without legal representation.
“There is a crisis in our housing courts, where countless thousands of tenants today are facing eviction without having an attorney to protect them,” Levine said.
The law, known as local 53, is not publicly funded.
Now that the new budget is being drawn up, they are asking the mayor to include some $300 million dollars that will make it possible to hire lawyers and prevent the loss of housing for entire families.
“We do not know the details of the families, but we are here working to protect them,” said councilor Alexa Avilés.
“I have an eleven-year-old daughter, and she is the one that hurts me the most and for which I am fighting. Because she asks me the question: ‘Mommy, why do they want to take me out of my home?’ added Gálvez.
Without money, says the coalition, they lose public attorneys to defend low-income families. They want to prevent people from falling victim to the system due to ignorance. Meanwhile, they promote a state law that puts a stop to landlords.
“And that can’t be done at the city level,” said fellow councilman Shaun Abreu.
:I know what it’s like to lose your home, that’s why I became a tenant’s rights attorney and ran for office.
“The right to a lawyer is the law, and we must vigorously defend it. No one should be evicted because they did not have someone to defend them in court,” Councilman Abreu also wrote in a message on social networks.
I know what it’s like to lose your home—it’s why I became a tenant rights attorney and ran for office.
Right to Counsel is the law, and we must vigorously defend it. No one should be evicted because they didn’t have someone to stand up for them in court.#EvictionFreeNYC pic.twitter.com/LLzNIA0CMd
— Shaun Abreu (@ShaunAbreu) March 27, 2023
The city council will hear testimony calling for the passage of protective laws and make it to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk for further approval.
