Community Justice Connect (formerly Legal Hand) is a network of neighborhood storefront sites that trains community volunteers to provide free legal information, resources, and referrals to their neighbors. People facing civil legal challenges in areas like housing, public benefits, employment, family law, immigration, can get help before the issues escalate into crises requiring court intervention.
Our Bronx Community Justice Center partnered with the NYC Human Resources Administration, the Bronx Defenders, and our Community Justice Connect team to help public housing residents in Mott Haven build knowledge around rent, repairs, lease renewals, and preventing evictions. The session was part of a series of housing workshops we’re hosting across the city for NYCHA tenants to get connected to vital resources and find support with their housing needs.
Housing is a human right and the foundation for strong communities. Access to a safe and affordable home creates economic and community stability. This fact sheet highlights the challenges and how our staff are working to prevent evictions, help landlords address health hazards, and increase tenant financial and legal empowerment. By addressing issues early, we keep people safely housed and avoid legal system involvement that can affect employment, family security, and future access to stable housing.
While eviction is a universally stressful event, people with mental health conditions can face unique obstacles with housing retention for reasons related specifically to their disability. This guide provides a review of housing settings and specific risks of eviction for individuals with mental illness before focusing on housing court and the challenges these individuals and court personnel face therein and identifies junctures at which supportive, problem-solving interventions can ensure the necessary community supports and legal representation.
Legal Hand seeks to help people resolve civil justice issues before they need lawyers and court intervention. In our latest New Thinking episode, learn about how the program works, how civil justice issues impact different communities, and why it can be hard to get basic legal information to the people who need it.
