Tenants rally outside city housing courts to demand mayor fully funds right to counsel
Elected officials and organizers say that funding is essential not only to prevent the shortage, but also to provide tenants with the legal rights they deserve.
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Bronx and Brooklyn tenants rallied outside of housing courts in their respective boroughs on Wednesday to call on Mayor Eric Adams to fully fund the right to counsel in the 2024 fiscal year budget.
The right to counsel allows the government to allocate legal representation to those who can’t afford the costs of paying for it alone. With the expiration of some eviction protections, organizers took to the streets to say there aren’t enough attorneys to represent them.
Organizations and advocates are demanding that right to counsel receive $350 million in funds in the upcoming fiscal year budget. They say thousands of eviction cases are now moving forward without the attorney that tenants are entitled to under local law, leaving nearly 25,000 tenants without representation.
Elected officials and organizers say that funding is essential not only to prevent the shortage, but also to provide tenants with the legal rights they deserve.
News 12 has reached out to the mayor’s office and is awaiting a response.
