The Elder Law Unit (ELU) is a city-wide unit with Housing teams in our Bronx and Brooklyn Neighborhood offices. The ELU specializes in eviction defense for seniors in the Bronx and Brooklyn using an interdisciplinary legal-social work framework to secure long lasting solutions to often complex problems facing seniors.

ELU recognizes that the preservation of housing for a senior often involves many intersecting medical, financial and social issues. The ELU seeks to assess and address the needs of our senior clients to not only prevent their eviction but to alleviate the underlying causes that lead them to be at risk of eviction.

Our Impact

Ms. Jean T, age 83, has lived in her small Brooklyn rental apartment since the mid-1960s.  One day, her landlord announced, giving no warning or reason, that he wanted Ms. T to move out.  After Ms. T’s sister contacted our Brooklyn Office for the Aging on Ms. T’s behalf, one of our attorneys worked with the sisters to develop evidence showing that Ms. T had been living in her apartment since well before July 1 of 1971, which meant that Ms. T’s tenancy should be considered to be subject to Rent Control.  The landlord started an eviction lawsuit against Ms. T, but within one day of having received an email from our office indicating that we intended to fight the suit on the basis that Ms. T is a rent-regulated tenant, the landlord’s attorney withdrew the lawsuit and advised the landlord to allow Ms. T to remain in her apartment without fear of litigation.

While helping Ms. T to stabilize her housing, we also assisted her with respect to her Medicaid eligibility and in regard to her need for crucial life-planning documents like a durable power of attorney and health care proxy.