LSNYC Reverses Eviction for Family of Eight, Secures $25 Monthly Rent Moving Forward

When LSNYC attorneys met the W. family in housing court, they had just come from a devastating moment: A judge had signed off on their eviction from their Section 8 apartment, forcing the parents and their six children — all under 12 years old — to enter the shelter system. 

Katherine, a staff attorney in the housing unit, quickly took the family on as clients and filed a motion to pause the eviction while she and other advocates at LSNYC worked on a solution. 

After investigating, the team found that the household should have inherited a lease to their unit from their family members. But administrative errors had led to the family being charged market rate for the unit — thousands of dollars a month that they could not afford. 

The attorneys made sure the W. family was added back to the lease, returning their rent to its legal value of $25 per month, based on federal subsidies. Jenna, another LSNYC attorney in Manhattan, successfully partnered with the city’s Human Resources Administration on a one-shot deal to eliminate the nearly $100,000 in accrued rental charges. 

The result has given the W. family a sense of immense relief. “This case was a very daunting uphill battle, and [Legal Services NYC] is a life saver, honestly,” Mr. W. told Jenna. 

Within several months, and with the collaboration of city benefits officers, LSNYC reversed what would have been a catastrophic and traumatic eviction for the W. family. The case demonstrates the power that current laws and programs have to safeguard families — if only they have the right advocates to help protect them.

Learn more about our housing practice here.