Anissa Bosmond and Dwight Page have eight children, ages three months to nine years old. The family was previously homeless and is now facing eviction from their Bronx apartment, as reported by PIX11.

The family, who are clients of The Legal Aid Society and were previously living in the shelter system, moved into their current apartment two years ago and believed they had found a permanent home. In fact, the landlord had informed them that it would be a long-term rental. However, when their one-year lease expired, the landlord refused to renew it and instead began an eviction proceeding.

The family has always paid rent on time and they have been responsible and respectful tenants, yet they have no legal recourse to fight the eviction as they live in a non-regulated building.

Legal Aid is calling on Albany lawmakers to enact “Good Cause” legislation to protect families in similar situations. “Good Cause” would require landlords to demonstrate a justification or “good cause” for evicting tenants in unregulated units, and would protect tenants from exorbitant rent hikes.

The budget-neutral legislation would prevent landlords from denying lease renewals to tenants who have consistently abided by the terms of their leases, allowing tenants to advocate for repairs without the fear of retaliation.

“All tenants across New York are suffering through this unprecedented housing crisis, but the Bronx has been hit especially hard, having the second highest number of evictions in all of the state,” said Navneet Kaur, an attorney in the Bronx Housing Office at The Legal Aid Society. “Governor Hochul and lawmakers cannot sit idly by and continue to allow mass evictions and displacement. They must enact ‘Good Cause’ to protect the most vulnerable tenants.”