PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jack Underwood, Deputy Director of Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A
1:54:05
·
149 sec
Jack Underwood, Deputy Director of Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, testified about the challenges faced by NYCHA residents in accessing ERAP funds and the need for expanded legal services. He highlighted the importance of the Anti-Harassment Tenant Protection Program (HTP) and called for its expansion and proper funding.
- Emphasized the success of ERAP in preventing evictions but noted many NYCHA residents were left out due to processing delays or insufficient outreach
- Criticized the exclusion of public housing tenants from certain aspects of the HTP program
- Expressed concern over reported budget cuts to HTP and stressed the need for both HTP and Right to Counsel programs to be fully funded
Jack Underwood
1:54:05
Thank you, Chairman Banks, and the Committee for giving us hearing.
1:54:08
My name is Jack Underwood.
1:54:10
I'm the Deputy Director of the Preserving Affordable Housing Program at Broken Eagle Services Corporation A, go by Broken A, Brooklyn AA's pH program provides legal representation, education, and advocacy strategies to preserve and protect affordable housing, prevent evictions, combat tenant harassment, discrimination, help tenant associations marshal the power of strengthening numbers, protect the right safe and sanitary housing.
1:54:34
Last year, Brooklyn A helped roughly 3000 individuals maintain housing stability and supported 23 tenants associations and fight for capital living conditions and combat harassment.
1:54:45
ERAP funds help prevent countless evictions for our clients in nitrile apartments and private units across Brooklyn in the wake of the pandemic.
1:54:52
However, far too many nitrile residents were left out of these benefits either because their applications were not processed.
1:54:58
In a timely manner or public outreach about the program was insufficient.
1:55:02
Repairs are another major concern for the nights of clients we serve, and we could reach far more nights of tenants if the anti harassment tenant protection program, HDP, was expanded and the funding cuts in the FY 25 city budget restored.
1:55:18
The scope of HTTP continues to exclude affirmative legal cases for public housing tenants, excludes us representing tenants associations, in Nigeria facilities.
1:55:29
And we can only commence actions against Nigeria or represent tense associations in those buildings if there's a referral from the Family Justice Center, the Office of Civil Justice, or HRA.
1:55:40
Additionally, the reported 19% cut to HDP, reportedly to expand funding for the right to council program is deeply troubling.
1:55:47
We share the city's goal of fully funding the right to council program, but both these initiatives are critically important to New York tenants, public, or private.
1:55:55
HTP has been successful at diverting eviction actions from the court by assisting tenant groups in negotiations with regards to repairs, interim recertifications, rent grievances, and so on.
1:56:06
For ninety tenants who reside in be very quick.
1:56:09
Chairman Please.
1:56:10
Who reside in a system in need of 78,000,000,000 repairs, affirmative HTV cases could remedy countless instances of inadequate, unsafe, or illegal living conditions.
1:56:19
Civil legal service providers like us who serve an IT tenants and need need all the tools, including access to ERAP funds, fully funded right to counsel program in a funded and expanded HTTP program at our disposable to properly serve public housing residents.
1:56:34
Thank you.
Chris Banks
1:56:35
Panel, thank you for your testimony, and we're now gonna move to a testimony via virtue, starting with Teresa Scott.
