New York Eviction Defense Project Highlighted in National Study of Pro Bono Impacts
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Carl Rauscher
Director of Communications and Media Relations
rauscherc@lsc.gov
202-295-1615
WASHINGTON—Legal Services of Hudson Valley’s (LSHV) Housing Court and Homelessness Prevention Project is featured in a Legal Services Corporation brief released today that showcases the critical role of pro bono attorneys in eviction defense.
The findings are part of a congressionally-directed study, The Effect of State & Local Laws on Evictions, to investigate the unmet legal needs surrounding the eviction crisis in the United States.
Eviction filings in New York are increasing since the most recent statewide moratorium expired in January 2022. Already this year, there have been more than 38,500 eviction filings in the state. While low-income residents of New York City have the right to counsel when facing eviction, the people who LSHV serve in the seven counties north of the city do not have this protection.
In the U.S., about one-in-three renter households will experience a housing-related civil legal problem such as eviction in a year, but the vast majority will receive little or no help in navigating their legal issues. Currently, family law cases get much more support from pro bono attorneys than housing cases, even though rental-related issues are one of the most common civil legal problems.
Nationally, landlords are four times more likely to be represented in eviction cases than tenants. Better leveraging pro bono services for tenants facing eviction is essential to addressing the eviction crisis. Without representation, most tenants will lose their cases and face eviction. However, access to representation flips the odds, with a large majority of tenants who receive legal services able to delay or avoid eviction.
The Housing Court and Homelessness Prevention Project began in 2015, with LSHV receiving initial support from the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to provide legal support to tenants in the Hudson Valley. The program now covers seven counties and partners with thirteen NYC-based law firms. Pro bono volunteers provide full, direct court representation to clients in landlord/tenant matters, but may also provide advice, counsel and limited services over the phone.
Tenants represented by the project's pro bono attorneys had an over 90% chance of delaying or avoiding eviction. From 2018 to 2020, volunteer attorneys provided over 1,000 hours of free legal services to more than 221 individuals and families.
To learn more about this and other model programs and the challenges pro bono attorneys face in eviction cases, read the full brief here.