Desperate for housing help for my friend--NYC
July 17, 2018 4:14 AM Subscribe
A family friend is caught up in NYC public housing bureaucracy and I don't know how to help her--do you? She lives in a housing project on the LES with the abusive father of her child, and she needs to get out. I'm looking for referrals, resources, organizations--anything I can do to help her. More inside.
Our family friend is a legal immigrant from Central America. She lives in public housing with her teenage child and the child's father, who is verbally abusive and who has spent the past 6 years harassing her in hopes that she'll leave. He blasts music all night, puts locks on the kitchen door, moves her things into the hallway--really egregious stuff. She did get an order of protection a few years ago after a physical assault, but they sent her and her child to a shelter in outer Queens where she was given a room with a substance abuser who often left the door open, candles lit, etc. Our friend moved back because she was more afraid there than at her apartment.
She's called the police many times and each time they come, they say they can't do anything because her order of protection has expired (there wasn't enough on record to extend it). She's been to NYCHA, to legal aid, has put in for low income housing lotteries, and more. The most recent thing she was told by NYCHA is that she's not eligible for her own apartment because she already has somewhere to live.
She is getting desperate. She can afford to pay about $1700 a month and will take anything that is safe and clean. However, she is a domestic worker and doesn't have proof of income or a credit score.
Can someone please point me to organizations/people/anything I can do to help her? Her mental health and that of her child is at serious risk. Thank you.
Our family friend is a legal immigrant from Central America. She lives in public housing with her teenage child and the child's father, who is verbally abusive and who has spent the past 6 years harassing her in hopes that she'll leave. He blasts music all night, puts locks on the kitchen door, moves her things into the hallway--really egregious stuff. She did get an order of protection a few years ago after a physical assault, but they sent her and her child to a shelter in outer Queens where she was given a room with a substance abuser who often left the door open, candles lit, etc. Our friend moved back because she was more afraid there than at her apartment.
She's called the police many times and each time they come, they say they can't do anything because her order of protection has expired (there wasn't enough on record to extend it). She's been to NYCHA, to legal aid, has put in for low income housing lotteries, and more. The most recent thing she was told by NYCHA is that she's not eligible for her own apartment because she already has somewhere to live.
She is getting desperate. She can afford to pay about $1700 a month and will take anything that is safe and clean. However, she is a domestic worker and doesn't have proof of income or a credit score.
Can someone please point me to organizations/people/anything I can do to help her? Her mental health and that of her child is at serious risk. Thank you.
Has your friend been offered or requested assistance under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)? VAWA has special protections for survivors living in public housing and other types of assisted rental housing.
Here is some really detailed guidance on what VAWA covers, and what the process is for asserting rights under VAWA:
- VAWA and the Housing Rights of Survivors
- The Rights of Domestic Violence Victims Living in Assisted Housing
- NYCHA's Notice of Occupancy Rights under the Violence Against Women Act
She should complete the HUD Form 5382, which is the HUD VAWA self-certification form, and bring it to the housing authority. She may be able to request a lease bifurcation (her abuser's lease is separated into two leases, one for her and her child, one for him) or request to have him removed from the lease entirely and for her to take over as the new head of household.
Do you know if she is on the public housing lease? If she isn't, it could complicate this process. It's also possible that some of this process may be complicated by her status as an immigrant. Not all legal immigrants are eligible for public or other federally assisted housing. This shouldn't stop her from exploring these options! If her child is a citizen or an eligible legal immigrant and will be joining her in her new household, that could be enough to ensure her household's eligibility. Generally, you only need to have one eligible legal immigrant in the household to qualify as an eligible household.
Anyway, I am not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice. (I used to be a housing advocate, but I never worked in NYC and I haven't been one for several years and my information may be out of date.) I would encourage you to explore the self certification process, but also reach out to legal providers with experience working on VAWA issues.
posted by cimton at 5:36 AM on July 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Here is some really detailed guidance on what VAWA covers, and what the process is for asserting rights under VAWA:
- VAWA and the Housing Rights of Survivors
- The Rights of Domestic Violence Victims Living in Assisted Housing
- NYCHA's Notice of Occupancy Rights under the Violence Against Women Act
She should complete the HUD Form 5382, which is the HUD VAWA self-certification form, and bring it to the housing authority. She may be able to request a lease bifurcation (her abuser's lease is separated into two leases, one for her and her child, one for him) or request to have him removed from the lease entirely and for her to take over as the new head of household.
Do you know if she is on the public housing lease? If she isn't, it could complicate this process. It's also possible that some of this process may be complicated by her status as an immigrant. Not all legal immigrants are eligible for public or other federally assisted housing. This shouldn't stop her from exploring these options! If her child is a citizen or an eligible legal immigrant and will be joining her in her new household, that could be enough to ensure her household's eligibility. Generally, you only need to have one eligible legal immigrant in the household to qualify as an eligible household.
Anyway, I am not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice. (I used to be a housing advocate, but I never worked in NYC and I haven't been one for several years and my information may be out of date.) I would encourage you to explore the self certification process, but also reach out to legal providers with experience working on VAWA issues.
posted by cimton at 5:36 AM on July 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you both! These are great resources to get started with. I'm going to follow up with her today.
posted by aimeedee at 11:30 AM on July 17, 2018
posted by aimeedee at 11:30 AM on July 17, 2018
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I’m not sure if she’s already tried Safe Horizons but might be worth calling their hotline for resources and referrals.
Sliding scale legal services for DV survivors
Other neighborhood specific services she might try
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 4:26 AM on July 17, 2018