QUESTION
What are tenants' rights and assistance options if denied reentry after a building is deemed safe?
1:18:19
·
3 min
Tenants who are denied reentry after a building is deemed safe have recourse through seeking legal services, as it is often considered an illegal lockout.
- This situation is addressed by AnnMarie Santiago at HPD, indicating tenants should seek legal advice for such illegal lockouts.
- Council Member Alexa Avilés raises concerns about the availability and dissemination of this information by HPD, particularly in fire situations.
- Discussion includes how city shelters coordinate with emergency services to provide housing for families displaced by fires.
- Avilés highlights a gap in on-site interpretation and materials to aid families, emphasizing the landlord's dominance in these scenarios.
- Santiago mentions that families engaged with HPD's emergency housing services receive information about their rights to return, although the reach of this advice is limited to those engaging with HPD services.
Alexa Avilés
1:18:19
So if if a tenant is denied reentry after building has been deemed safe, what recourse does a tenant have?
1:18:28
And where do they turn for help?
AnnMarie Santiago
1:18:31
I in most cases, that's considered an illegal lockout.
1:18:35
And attendance should seek legal services for their specific case about what is what is occurring.
Alexa Avilés
1:18:41
And and does HPD even provide that?
1:18:45
Information to people when they experience fires.
AnnMarie Santiago
1:18:49
I believe that that's what we advise people when they advise us that they are being not allowed to return.
1:18:57
Is that information provided at the time of the fire?
1:19:00
I I could not say that that is happening right now.
Alexa Avilés
1:19:02
It might be good for the Understood.
1:19:05
For for the information we're gonna work on together.
1:19:09
In terms of do city shelters ever, and I understand this is not your this is not the agency.
1:19:16
But if if you bear with me, do city shelters ever investigate whether families entering as a result of a fire may be eligible to return home through the determinations of FDNY or HPD?
AnnMarie Santiago
1:19:31
Entering a regular Like, homeless shelter?
1:19:35
Yeah.
1:19:36
Emergency service.
Alexa Avilés
1:19:38
I think the question is trying to get at the communication between the, obviously, the emergency shelter system and whether or not homes are deemed safe for return.
1:19:48
Like, what that communication flow?
Kevin Woods
1:19:51
So at at the fire scene, what we do is if people are displaced from their building our apartment.
1:19:58
We coordinate with NICE and we coordinate with the American Red Cross.
1:20:02
And We get that we're there.
1:20:04
Right?
1:20:04
So we get that bold rolling, so the people can be taken care of.
1:20:08
And through NICE, I'm in the American Red Cross, they would look to see where they're going to place these people.
Alexa Avilés
1:20:15
Right.
1:20:15
And in terms of the HPD, are you Mhmm.
AnnMarie Santiago
1:20:18
If that if the if the tenant comes to us at a later time looking for emergency housing services and they are looking for those services and we know that the vacates have been rescinded, we do provide that information.
Alexa Avilés
1:20:31
Okay.
1:20:32
I guess we look forward to working together because this is still very much a gap.
1:20:37
I have never seen interpretation on-site available and I've never seen concrete materials that could really help.
1:20:44
It it for for me, the way it operates on the ground is the landlords have the simple oneness and information.
1:20:52
And kinda do whatever they want.
1:20:54
And then families are distributed, dealing with this trauma.
1:20:58
And and we're often trying to find them, and, you know, Red Cross has been great, and and connecting them to legal service providers, and they're constantly added to service.
1:21:08
And so there's a real gap here that I think we can work together to address.
AnnMarie Santiago
1:21:14
I do know to also when families or households are engaged with our emergency housing services.
1:21:20
They are provided information about filing with HCR, for example, to protect their rights.
1:21:27
To return.
1:21:29
So that information is given to them by emergency housing services.
1:21:32
I can't speak for tenants who don't engage with us.
Alexa Avilés
1:21:37
And emergency housing services is under HPD?
AnnMarie Santiago
1:21:40
Correct.
Alexa Avilés
1:21:40
Okay.
1:21:43
Alright.
1:21:43
Thank you, chair.