Facing eviction? Don’t panic! Help is available through a variety of city programs and agencies, as well as non-profits. The NYC Department of Homeless Services website provides multiple links for New Yorkers at risk of eviction, like "Experiencing a Housing Crisis," "Behind on Rent" and "Facing Eviction." If you need rental assistance, click here.
You can also find help at the Citywide Task Force on Housing Court Inc., a non-profit coalition that makes referrals to legal service providers and offers other eviction prevention services. Additionally, they have a presence in each borough Housing Court and their staff answers questions and provides referrals to legal service providers and other eviction prevention organizations. You can find them weekly in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island Housing courts from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Other great resources can be found on the Community Service Society of New York website. Note: Special help is available for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and for veterans.
In our current economic crisis, foreclosures are at their highest rate since the Great Depression. If you find yourself facing foreclosure, the Office of the NYC Comptroller has a foreclosure prevention helpline (212-669-4600) as well as a foreclosure prevention guide [pdf] that can help answer your questions.
As their guide points out, it is critically important that you contact your lender as soon as you realize that you may have trouble making payments. In certain circumstances, you may be allowed to delay payments for a short time, but your lender will assist you in determining your alternatives.
Other resources:
- NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development runs an Owner Services Program (OSP) that works with homeowners to prevent foreclosures and predatory lending. The program offers both short-term counseling and more extensive, on-going assistance. To talk to a counselor, call (212) 863-6225.
- Check out the Lawyer's Foreclosure Intervention Network, Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers help for at-risk homeowners.
- The Coalition for the Homeless provides an explanation of housing subsidies.
- Two other resources: The Neighborhood Housing Services and HopeNow.
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