Bushwick Housing & Legal Assistance (BHLA)

The Bushwick Housing and Legal Assistance (BHLA) Program of the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, Inc. (RBSCC, Inc.) has been servicing low and moderate income tenants from Bushwick, Williamsburg and the surrounding areas since 1998.

Our program provides a particularly unique service approach to combating homelessness in that we are able to combine and coordinate legal assistance, tenant organizing, advocacy, and social services from one office. This enables us to address the full range of needs, which arise as a result of the types of housing cases we encounter. Most of the people we service are struggling with poor housing conditions which leave them in danger of losing their apartments due to lack of heat, hot water, electrical services, plumbing leaks and other serious situations. Others face evictions because of difficulties with rental payments, rent overcharges, or foreclosures. In other cases we see tenants being harassed to force them to vacate, especially tenants (many of whom are seniors) who may be in rent controlled apartments or tenants whose rents are lower due to their longevity in a particular apartment.

Our attorneys, organizers, and case managers are accessible since our office is located in the heart of the neighborhood. This accessibility builds a sense of confidence in our clients and enables us to develop rapport and partnerships in order to resolve problems together. Our approach is not only to advocate for the client; it is to empower the client to advocate for him or herself.

BHLA is able to preserve tenancies and prevent homelessness primarily through direct legal representation in nonpayment and holdover proceedings in the Housing Court of Kings County. BHLA attorneys also represent tenants in other administrative proceedings at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR).

In addition to representation in eviction proceedings, our program also provides preventative legal services that aim to stabilize the housing situation of tenants, preventing situations that can lead to homelessness. The attorneys, tenant organizers, and case managers coordinate a variety of services including representation of tenants in housing part actions for repairs, organizing tenants in buildings that are at risk of abandonment, 7A actions, illegal lockout cases, filing of rent overcharge complaints with DHCR, and filing Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemptions (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemptions (DRIE) to preserve rents at affordable levels for the elderly and disabled.

All of these services work together to prevent evictions, preserve decent housing, preserve affordable rents, and empower tenants to enforce their rights under the law.



Attorneys services:

Represent tenants in housing court: non-payments, holdovers, housing part actions, 7A Administrative proceedings. New York City Housing Authority hearings: non-payment proceedings, holdovers, housing part actions. New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal: rent overcharge, lease renewals, reduction in services cases. Entitlement advocacy

Case Managers services:

Intake process: review of court documents, client information, review of DHCR apartment history, file preparation. Case presentation at case review meetings. Assistance with SCRIE/DRIE. Assistance with DHCR rent overcharge. Advice, referral, and advocacy re: tenants rights Entitlement advocacy Maintain court calendar

Organizers services:

Visit buildings, meet with tenants. Organize tenant associations. Prepare repairs lists. Court appearances with tenant associations and lawyers. Advocacy for repairs and services. Advocacy with DHCR rent reduction, rent overcharge and lease renewal issues.

Administrators services:

Log and track case files. Prepare programmatic reports/monthly reports. Grant compliance. Fiscal reporting/budgeting. Liaison with legal program staff. Liaison with funding sources.