Our vision and mission is to provide legal services and community empowerment to vulnerable Brooklynites. LEAP assists tenants in gaining access to justice with dignity by preventing evictions and preserving thousands of housing units.
Our dedicated staff consisting of community organizers, paralegals, case managers, administrators and attorneys are committed to providing low-income Brooklynites with high quality legal representation, with a core aspect of our holistic approach to legal representation focused on addressing the underlying economic issues that bring our clients into contact with the legal system.
View our history of housing policy and community organizing in Brooklyn.
LEAP Legal Representation
Full and Brief Legal Representation
Administrative proceedings:
- Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) Hearings
- Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Hearings
- NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) Grievance Proceedings
- NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) Termination of Tenancy
- NYC Commission on Human Rights Proceedings
- Termination of Section 8 benefits/subsidy
Litigation:
- Housing Court Actions
- Non-Payment Proceedings
- Holdover Proceedings
- Housing Part (HP) Action (Ex: Heat & hot water issues, lack of repairs, harassment)
- Supreme Court Actions (Ex: Article 78s, limited appeals)
Complex Legal Action:
- Group HP Actions
LEAP Tenant Empowerment
Tenant Associations:
- Assisting tenants form organized groups with the goal of working together to improve tenant-landlord relationships, building conditions, and services; inform tenants of their housing rights under local, state, and federal law; and encouraging regular communication and community awareness among tenants.
Tenants Rights Informational Session:
- Trainings and informational sessions designed to provide tenants with an overview of tenants’ rights including current rent regulation laws, notice requirements, eviction process, security deposits, and more.
LEAP Engagement and Advocacy
Community engagement:
- Tenant organizing
- Building organizing
- Providing/conducting home visits
- DHCR complaints: Complaints may filed for Rent Reduction requests due to Failure to Provide Heat And/Or Hot Water; Decreased Service(s); Decreased Building-Wide Service(s); Rent and/or Other Specific Overcharge; Owner’s Failure to offer a lease renewal and/or Failure to Furnish a Copy of a Signed Lease; Harassment; Petition for Administrative Review (PAR), and more.
- SCRIE / DRIE applications and renewals: Income eligible persons 62 years and older or eligible disabled persons may qualify to have their rents frozen and LEAP can help.
- Out of court mediation / negotiation in landlord-tenant matters
- Enforcing tenants’ rights
- Enforcing warranty of habitability
LEAP Community Resources and Care
Bridging Access to Community Resources and Care
- GAL (Guardian Ad Litem) / APS (Adult Protective Services)
- Engaging and connecting clients to resources and referrals
- Resource collaboration(s)
Additional Resources for Legal Assistance
Lives Changed.
The Ortiz Family
The Ortiz Family
