News & Press

African-American Homeowners Charge HUD with Discrimination

African-American homeowners whose government-guaranteed mortgages were auctioned by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to the highest bidder filed a class action lawsuit on Friday in federal court, exposing the discriminatory impact of HUD’s Note Sale Program, compelling HUD to review the disparate racial impact of the Program and demanding that HUD …

The Theft of Affordable Housing

MFY Supervising Attorney Justin La Mort explores how rent-stabilized apartments are disappearing as a result of fraudulent individual apartment improvements in the current issue of the NYU Review of Law & Social Change. The article shows how these phony improvements are are exacerbating the city’s affordable housing crisis and recommends several legal and policy changes …

MFY Attorneys Selected for Groundbreaking Race-Equity Training

MFY Supervising Attorney Maia Goodell and Staff Attorney Karla Johnson are among 41 Fellows who have been selected to participate in the 2016 Racial Justice Training Institute, a national training program or the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law that builds the capacity of low-income people’s advocates to deploy up-to-date racial justice advocacy skills …

New Report Shows Illegal Airbnb Rentals Overtaking NYC Housing Market

A report by MFY Legal Services an Housing Conservation Coordinators shows that Airbnb rentals are having a disastrous impact on NYC’s housing market and significantly contributing to the decrease in affordable units, especially in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  More than half of Airbnb’s lists are illegal under city housing law, and 30% of listings are controlled …

SRO Hotel Fined for Illegal Rentals

An upper West Side Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel was fined $65,000 for continuing to offer short-term stays to tourists in violation of a March court ruling that forbade it. Under the law, SROs cannot rent rooms for less than 30 days. MFY Legal Services has taken a leading role in the fight against illegal …

Harassment by Construction: Crown Heights Tenants Fight Back

Represented by MFY Legal Services, tenants in a Crown Heights building filed suit against their  landlord on June 7, 2016, demanding an end to almost two years of unbearable living conditions. Tenants say the landlord began a gut renovation in February 2015 without proper building permits. Tenants have lived through periods with no heat or …

Advocates Demand Fair Treatment of Homeowners with Limited English Proficiency

MFY Legal Services joined with consumer advocates across the country to ask the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other regulators to take action to ensure fair treatment of Limited English Proficient (LEP) homeowners. A report issued by Americans for Financial Reform details how language access remains a significant hurdle for many communities seeking access to …

Class Action Compels NYC Transit to Change Unfair Access-A-Ride Policies

A class action lawsuit challenging unconstitutional practices of Access-A-Ride, New York City’s paratransit service for people with disabilities, received preliminary approval on May 19, 2016. Five plaintiffs with disabilities were represented by MFY Legal Services and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Once the settlement is finally approved, NYC Transit must provide specific information on why …

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