A new report, The Face of Airbnb, New York City, by Inside Airbnb, a member of the Coalition against Illegal Hotels, documents the role that Airbnb plays in the gentrification of historically black and brown neighborhoods and the disproportionate benefit obtained by white hosts. An earlier report by MFY and Housing Conservation Coordinators showed how …
After years of organizing and advocacy by the Three-Quarter House Tenant Organizing Project (TOP), MFY Legal Services, Neighbors Together, VOCAL-NY and other advocates in the Three-Quarter House Reform Coalition, the New York City Council passed a package of five bills to protect tenants’ rights and rein in abusive three-quarter house operators.
Housing advocates in New York City denounced Airbnb’s proposed Home Sharing Rules for New York in a statement released October 21, 2016, arguing that the rules are unenforceable and will legitimize Airbnb’s illegal business practices, which contribute to the loss of affordable housing, create unlivable conditions for tenants in residential buildings, and make unsuspecting tenants …
Tenants of three-quarter houses, along with MFY Legal Services, Neighbors Together, VOCAL-NY and other organizations supporting tenants’ rights rallied at City Hall today to support five bills to improve the lives of these tenants. Holding signs reading “Dear Landlord: My Health Is None of Your Business!,” tenants urged passage of Intro. 1168, which would make …
Voices of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY), a statewide grassroots membership organization dedicated to empowering low-income people, has joined MFY and Neighbors Together in our campaign to organize three-quarter house tenants and advocate for greater protections for these residents. On Thursday, October 6, we will rally at City Hall at 12:30 pm to support five …
MFY Supervising Attorney Justin LaMort commented in an AM-NY article on New York City’s new guidelines for affordable housing lotteries, noting that many changes are long overdue. The new process eliminates home visits and decisions based on credit scores, and recognizes that the tenant blacklist is a problem by providing that a previous housing court …
MFY is representing a group of tenants at 80 New York Avenue in Brooklyn who are suing their landlord for renting out individual rooms in apartments, alleging illegal deregulation and rent overcharges. In a scheme proliferating in many gentrifying neighborhoods, landlords convince single adults desperate for an affordable place to live to co-sign a lease. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
MOBILIZATION FOR JUSTICE
Mobilization for Justice’s (MFJ) mission is to achieve justice for all. We prioritize the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised, or have disabilities as they struggle to overcome the effects of social injustice and systemic racism. We provide the highest-quality free, direct civil legal assistance, conduct community education and build partnerships, engage in policy advocacy, and bring impact litigation. MFJ also promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace, and understands the need to eliminate all racial disparities to achieve justice for all.
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