Legal Aid has joined a growing chorus of elected officials and legal advocates who consider Brooklyn’s Housing Court building to represent a danger to both visitors and staff due to the risk of contracting COVID-19. The building – well-known for its narrow hallways and tiny, windowless meeting rooms – has been the object of concern as courts started the process of reopening last month, with many doubting even the possibility of responsible social distancing within its interior. Calls to delay proceedings, or relocate the court into a building more amenable to public health concerns, have only grown in past weeks, reports WNYC.

The Legal Aid Society and other public defenders have strenuously pushed for the delay of proceedings, especially considering the potentially ruinous impact of evictions coming at a time when the economic fallout of the state-imposed COVID-19 shutdown has shattered many New Yorker’s financial security.

“We think it’s inappropriate for any cases to be brought in housing court at this time in the middle of a public health crisis,” said Judith Goldiner, housing attorney at The Legal Aid Society.