A bill proposed Wednesday in the New York City Council would provide low-income tenants facing eviction or foreclosure with the same free access to an attorney that criminals are eligible for, the Daily News reports.
Nearly 30,000 New Yorkers were evicted from their homes last year, and many were unfairly booted because they did not know their rights, said City Councilmember Mark Levine, who introduced the bill.
“We’ll have fewer people in homeless shelters and … we’re going to lose fewer affordable apartments because many of the vacancies are in rent-regulated units which then go market-rate,” said Levine.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has allocated nearly $10 million in his executive budget for legal services for renters, an aide said.
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