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Closure of Union Square benefits center leaves vulnerable NYers scrambling
Gothamist
“Clients often describe hostile behavior from city benefits workers and say their cases are regularly closed for no reason, a report from the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center found.Eviction Crisis Will Put NYC’s Right To Counsel To The Test
Law 360
Marika Dias, managing director of the Safety Net Project, a legal assistance program operated by the Urban Justice Center, said that with the pandemic-induced housing emergency and a backlog of 18,000 evictions cases pre-pandemic, the city will have to pour more money into civil legal aid services to be able to deliver on its promise — and follow its own law.Supreme Court Blocks Enforcement Of NY Anti-Eviction Law
Law 360
Tenants should also keep in mind that eviction is a multistep process that has been drawn out in the pandemic, added Marika Dias, attorney and director of the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center in New York City. "There are still steps that landlords need to take under the law," Dias told Law360. "There's still the fact that courts are not physically reopened or functioning at capacity, and a tremendous number of cases have accrued in the system. So this doesn't mean that landlords are going to be able to evict tenants en masse right away, but it is nonetheless an incredibly harmful decision for New York tenants."NYers Are Getting Evicted During the Pandemic. Lawmakers Must Act Now.
City Limits
There are now more than 200,000 families across New York State in eviction court. Since Cuomo opened the door to new eviction cases in June, over 33,000 cases have been filed. With a million-plus New York tenants behind on their rent, this number will continue to rise.‘ - Marika DiasNY Courts Say Eviction Pause Continues, For Now
Law 360
"Cuomo's order gives permission for the courts to maintain a pause on eviction cases moving forward, but he's not requiring them to," said Marika Dias, managing director of the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center. "So we could see a situation where the courts decide that even though they have permission to pause, they don't have to. Cuomo has taken no steps to prevent that."Brooklyn To Resume Some Pre-Pandemic Housing Trials
Law 360
Marika Dias, managing director of the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center, urged the court to reverse course "immediately." "NYC housing court's indication that they intend to move forward with eviction trials is dangerous and shows a complete disregard for the lives of tenants, their families and the community at large," she said. "It is also entirely at odds with the directive from New York state's chief administrative judge, which explicitly suspends all eviction cases statewide until further notice."NY Atty Confusion, Concern Around New Virus Eviction Rule
Law 360
"What Cuomo is proposing beginning June 20 is not a moratorium but is prohibiting certain types of cases," Marika Dias, managing director of the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center, told Law360. "What that means in practice is that it's going to shift the onus onto the tenants to make sure they fit into that category."
Cuomo’s New Order Opens the Door to Evictions
City Limits
By SNP's E.D. Marika Dias:By opening the door to all these new eviction cases and evictions, the new executive order will quickly take us back to overcrowded housing courts and families facing homelessness—both of which are guaranteed to endanger individual and public health. Cuomo didn’t extend the moratorium, he ended it, outrageously putting all of us at risk.
New Version of Cuomo’s Evictions Ban Seen as Weaker
City Limits
Marika Dias, managing director of the Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project, says there are two key categories of tenants that are not covered under the new eviction moratorium: tenants who were being evicted for anything that doesn’t relate to nonpayment of rent (also known as holdover cases) and tenants unable to show that they have faced a financial impact due to COVID-19.Legal interns and Volunteers
The Safety Net Project offers internships and volunteer opportunities at our Lower Manhattan offices on a rolling basis. We welcome law students, prospective legal fellows, and legal volunteers who would like to help further our efforts to minimize evictions and ensure tenants obtain necessary repairs to their buildings and apartments.
WANT TO JOIN THE FIGHTING FORCE?
The Social Justice Accelerator awards chosen applicants an opportunity and resources to develop their social justice initiatives.