Tenant Rights and Housing Discrimination

BDS supports the right to safe and affordable housing for all New Yorkers. In the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis, those with criminal, family and immigration legal system contact face insurmountable barriers to accessing stable housing. Given the importance of housing in achieving economic stability and in successful reentry into society, all tenants facing eviction in Housing Court must be guaranteed the right to counsel. New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), created to provide housing as a last resort, denies eligibility to applicants on the basis of a prior conviction alone. To remove the discrimination and barriers to housing faced by those with justice system contact, NYCHA’s punitive eligibility and termination procedures must be reformed.