New York Gov Andrew Cuomo last week announced no evictions until August 20th to help unemployed renters keep a roof over their head. But where does that leave landlords?
Peter Regnier says he gets the need to help out renters. The Clinton County landlord is helping out by taking money off rent, but he can’t do that forever and says they state needs to help out property owners too. “We’re down quite a bit, obviously,” he said.
Regnier owns five rental properties in Clinton County. When his properties are full, that’s over 20 tenants. “I went to each and every one one of them and asked them honestly if they needed relief,” Regnier said. He is taking 25 percent off rent for those who need it until July and while most tenants are grateful, he says others are trying to take advantage of the Cuomo’s no eviction order.
“Good tenants — you want to keep them,” Regnier said. “I would guess 85 to 90 percent of the people who need that relief absolutely have to have it — there is no doubt in my mind. But just like anything else, there are people who will wrongly take advantage of the system.”
Housing advocates like Tara Glynn at the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York say any relief for renters is welcomed. “The saving grace of all this is to not make people homeless. It’s not that we’re heartless to landlords and what they are going through or anyone else, but we would hate to see people losing their homes over this global pandemic,” she said.
Many of those unable to pay monthly rent or mortgage payments are at the mercy of the state and federal governments as the potential for mass evictions looms when the pandemic subsides.
A moratorium preventing landlords from filing eviction notices in court remains in place in New York, but does not protect tenants from having to pay all rent that is due when the moratorium is lifted, said David Crossman, an attorney and housing specialist at the Legal Aid Society Northeastern New York.
In late April, the Plattsburgh Police said that because people in the Lake City are essentially forced to stay home, domestic violence calls are up by 50% from the same time last year. According to the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York’s Plattsburgh office, support service agencies for survivors aren’t experiencing a similar increase in demand.
“Many survivors are shut in with their children right now and with their abusers, and the opportunities for privacy and to reach out to service providers and to legal assistance providers has really been extraordinarily limited,” Legal Aid Society managing attorney Susan Gagnon said.
The society held a virtual town hall Friday afternoon to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting domestic violence victims. “On the calls we are still getting, we are hearing a lot of extreme violence involved in the abuse that our survivors are enduring at home,” Gagnon said. “We’re also hearing a lot about abusers utilizing the social distancing guidelines to control a survivor’s life, withholding children.”
The New York Attorney General’s Office said the court has ruled on a motion to block the dissolution of the pension fund from St. Clare’s Hospital.
As a result of the ruling, New York Attorney General Letitia James will have access to over 100 pieces of evidence to examine the fund and its collapse. She will also be able to depose the fund’s board president and attorney.
As New Yorkers wrestle with hardships caused by the coronavirus shutdown, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York continues to offer services that meet “the very core of a person’s needs,” its director said. At the same time, the state court system in partnership with the New York State Bar Association is offering free legal expertise for New Yorkers who need help securing unemployment benefits through the appeal process.
The Legal Aid Society, which spans 16 counties, has set up a special line to answer questions arising from COVID-19: 1-833-628-0087.
“We knew we would be a vital part of the community’s response,” said Lillian Moy, the organization’s executive director, at Thursday’s county press briefing.
Whew! Wow. What a time for introductions. I am thinking of all of our volunteers, and hope that you are doing well during this difficult time. LASNNY is incredibly grateful for your past service to our clients.
My name is Jacob Drum, and on March 5, 2020, I began work as LASNNY’s new director of the Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) program. That seems like several decades ago, since shortly after that the organization, like the state and much of the country, began a historic shift to remote legal service work in response to COVID-19. Our service to indigent individuals has never been more necessary, nor has that need come at time faced with so many challenges. That is why, as part of LASNNY’s COVID-19 PAI Response, we hope to mobilize a team of volunteer attorneys in anticipation of the urgent need for legal assistance. In addition, we hope to educate attorneys in fields such as and income protection where we believe we are likely to see increased need.
For some background: I have worked for indigent clients since my first law school internship, spending time in federal defender offices from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to Buffalo. When I first started doing this work, my picture of a lawyer was someone who wanted to make a lot of money without getting any callouses. I was quickly disabused of this notion.
The public interest lawyers and volunteers I have met throughout my career have inspired me with their devotion to a deceptively simple idea: equality under the law. I know some version of that thought exists within every one of you, whatever your background or practice area, and my gratitude for that fact is what gets me out of bed in the morning. (Well, that and two hungry cats.)
We face a difficult time for the profession, but LASNNY is committed to making this journey as efficient and as comfortable as possible for our volunteers as well as our clients. To that end, we are planning trainings and compiling practice guides targeted at what we feel will be the greatest needs when we come through the current health crisis, such as unemployment , bankruptcy, and advance planning. We can see the that the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing to the small businesses that are the backbone of our community and neighborhood, and we are exploring how we can best help them.
We are working hard to update and maintain the most up-to-date information on the changing legal landscape; our staff has been working non-stop to ensure that we can meet the coming legal need together. I want to be as accessible to you as possible as we navigate these uncharted waters. Please contact me if there is anything I can do to make easier, and continue to register for our upcoming CLE’s including “Understanding Unemployment Insurance Benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Both LASNNY and I will continue to update you as we figure out how we can all best advocate for those whose voices are most easily drowned out. Stay tuned, stay safe and healthy, and above all stay passionate in your pursuit of our clients’ rights. I am with you, I am here for you, and I am unendingly grateful for your service.
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern N.Y. (LASNNY) has launched a new COVID-19 response program to help provide free civil legal guidance to people who can’t afford it. They have created a legal line with extended hours and updated their website with the most current information to help New Yorkers deal with a range of issues including the receipt of stimulus money, unemployment benefits, housing, taxes, family court issues, and debt collection.
The organization says they are preparing for an increase in assistance requests, especially after the state reopens the economy and moratoriums on things like rent and debt end. They say they are worried about what it will mean for people.
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York is providing a free help line for the poor to help navigate legal issues brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lillian Moy, the executive director of the Albany-based organization, which covers 16 upstate counties and covers the Capital Region, said in a news release that the low-income communities served by the Legal Aid Society are especially vulnerable to the economic impact of the pandemic.
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LASNNY) understands that this can be a confusing and challenging time for many as everyone navigates their way through this pandemic. But the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York will remain reachable for the community and is fully staffed and serving clients.
The global pandemic of COVID-19 is having a significant impact in our community. To meet the current challenges, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LASNNY) has created a comprehensive COVID-19 Legal Response which includes a Legal Line (833-628-0087) and a COVID-19 Legal Information Web Page. This initiative is meeting the urgent civil legal needs of low income people in the 16 counties we serve. Equal justice under law means that everyone facing a serious civil legal problem because of this crisis, should receive the legal information, advice, brief service and representation they need. LASNNY is here to help. Call us at (833-628-0087).
“The community LASNNY serves is particularly vulnerable to the economic impact of this pandemic,” said Lillian Moy, Executive Director, and Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York. “Legal Aid’s COVID-19 Legal Response and our Legal Line continue to play a crucial role during and after the crises.”
LASNNY asks the media for their assistance in publicizing this change in services and its toll free Legal Line (833-628-0087) Open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 9am-5pm & Wednesday and Thursday 9am-7pm and a COVID-19 Legal Information page to reach as many of the people who need them as possible. Support staff will be working remotely to manage new intakes or requests for assistance, to put clients in touch with intake specialists and case handlers, as well as referrals.
LASNNY is posting legal information about the response to COVID-19 on their website for anyone to review and reference at www.lasnny.org, and anyone who needs their services, can find out more information about our services there.
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