NEW YORK – July 17, 2018 – the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to partner with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) and Manhattan Legal Services (MLS) to host a Know-Your-Rights Presentation and Clinic on rent overcharge on August 1, 2018 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at VNSNY Chinatown Community Service Center, 7 Mott Street. The event is free and open to any community member.
The Know-Your-Rights presentation will address whether units are entitled to rent protections, rent overcharges and the legal remedies that are available. After the presentation, attendees can meet one-on-one with an attorney to discuss their rent issues and review their rent histories. Therefore, attendees should obtain and bring their rent histories from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) by calling (718) 739-6400 or going to 25 Beaver Street (or another DHCR office). Mandarin and Cantonese interpretation will be available. Due to the limited availability of individual appointments, those who are interested should call (646) 442-3119 immediately to schedule an appointment.
Through the Know-Your-Rights clinic, AABANY hopes to make important legal information more readily available to the public by partnering with VNSNY and MLS, two organizations that are committed to addressing the dire need for social and legal services for underprivileged communities in New York City. VNSNY has long served the area as the United States’ largest nonprofit home- and community-based health care organization, providing high quality health care programs. MLS, as a branch of the Legal Services NYC, has worked to protect the rights of low-income residents by providing legal services and engaging in social justice advocacy for over 50 years.
“AABANY is pleased to be able to work with VNSNY and MLS on this Know-Your-Rights clinic in Chinatown,” stated James Cho, AABANY President. “Our theme this year is ‘Serving Our Community, Advancing Our Professions,’ and we look forward to meeting this goal by engaging our members as volunteers to serve the community as pro bono attorneys while at the same time advancing the legal profession through community service.”
“Unscrupulous landlords are attempting to charge tenants too much for rent and not give tenants the protections from rent increases and evictions that the law provides,” asserted Amy Luo, Senior Staff Attorney at Manhattan Legal Services. “Through this clinic and partnership, we can make sure that Chinatown tenants know and enforce their rights and protect our community.”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (212) 332-2478, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].
The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is a New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
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