"People want to know, 'What do I do?' The hardest part about the hotline is there is no silver bullet. People call us, and we're sort of the first line of defense, and we figure out what's the best referral, what people can say and do right this second."
"The volunteers often refer callers to other organizations, private lawyers, or to the offices of elected officials. Often, they help tenants navigate the alphabet soup of government agencies they might need to reach. To find out more about the callers' buildings and landlords, the volunteers look up records in city agency databases, peruse the website JustFix and make several Google searches per call."
Met Council on Housing operates a Tenants' Rights Hotline staffed by approximately 40 volunteers who answer calls from tenants seeking guidance on housing issues. The hotline addresses diverse tenant concerns including lease reassignments, rent withholding rights, and eviction procedures. Volunteers serve as a first line of defense, researching building records through city databases and websites like JustFix to provide informed referrals to other organizations, private lawyers, or elected officials' offices. The hotline helps tenants navigate complex government agencies and understand their rights. This work occurs alongside the city's Rental Ripoff Hearings taking place across all five boroughs, which will inform recommendations for housing policy and programs.
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