Rutgers Law Students Efforts to Address Newark Evictions Get Nod From DC - TAPinto.net

NEWARK, NJ — Rutgers Law School faculty and students were recently invited by the White House to present their efforts in addressing coronavirus pandemic evictions across Newark, working with community leaders through a series of initiatives.

The group headed an initiative, dubbed, “Stop Evicting Newark Project,” that began in fall 2021 as a response to the Supreme Court ruling against eviction moratoriums. The decision was expected to result in what Norrinda Hayat, a law school professor and director of the Housing Justice and Tenant Solidarity Clinic in Newark, called a “tsunami” of displaced tenants in the months ahead.

Hayat’s team joined five other law school groups that were featured in a virtual event hosted by the White House and the Department of Justice to highlight the issue of pandemic-induced evictions.

“You look for people at every cost, you do everything you can to find them,” said Hayat. “I see that as part of the strategy. We wanted to meet people where they are instead of having people come to us.”

The project represents tenants threatened with eviction by the Newark Housing Authority and launched an intensive know-your-rights campaign that shares info about the law and how to apply for emergency rental assistance.

Students and faculty created public service announcements, posted on social media, knocked on doors, and partnered with the Newark Water Coalition, a local activist group that formed in response to the city’s lead water crisis.

The students went around the community donning neon green shirts for visibility, branded with a logo designed by Newark artist Andrece Brady. They also recruited Spanish-speaking members to reach residents in the city’s Ironbound section, an area where many of the city’s Latinx and Portuguese tenants reside.

Hayat estimated that the students reached nearly 200 people through their efforts, including more than a dozen residents whose cases are being handled by clinic students.

The campaign was prompted by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, which in August 2021 issued a call for law schools to begin supporting tenants before the eviction freeze was officially lifted on Jan 1.

Rutgers University Law School dedicated state funding to increase the school’s ability to step up eviction prevention efforts. The school administration hired multiple new housing attorneys to represent clients and supervise students in eviction defense work.

Additionally, students served more than 350 households and dedicated over 3,700 hours to increasing housing stability in the community in the fall 2021 semester.

Hayat’s team received a $1.1 million state grant to expand pandemic eviction work at the clinic, which, along with the Economic Justice and Public Benefits Clinic, also challenges housing discrimination, displacement and gentrification due to the loss of affordable public and subsidized housing.

A part of the funding was dedicated to paying grassroots groups for their efforts and giving them in-kind donations.

“It’s important to work with community partners that already have legitimacy so we’re not disturbing that ecosystem but supporting it,’’ said Hayat. “And if we want to work with them, we should treat it as a real partnership that doesn’t require people of color to work for well-resourced universities for free.’’

The clinic worked with tenants facing eviction since the first wave of the pandemic, helping them navigate a legal process that was complicated by virtual court proceedings. Many tenants, officials said, had trouble accessing hearings because they lacked the technology.

"A lot of our clients are women with children, some of them are senior citizens,” said student Gianna Sanguinetti. “The stakes are high, especially if you’re elderly during a pandemic or if you have kids.”

Another student Asia Norton, a clinic fellow who is also a member of the Newark Board of Education, used her local networks and knowledge of the city to help grow the project’s outreach.

"When you work hard, you do it because you see there's a need, and you do your best to fill it,” said Norton. “You want it done right, and you want it to be received well by residents… But being recognized this way, it’s heartwarming.’’

source: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/newark/sections/education/articles/rutgers-law-students-efforts-to-address-newark-evictions-get-nod-from-dc

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