The Legal Aid Society and housing advocates are calling for rent relief to ward off a landslide of eviction proceedings that could follow the expiration of the state-mandated eviction moratorium that has kept thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers in their homes. Experts warn that 50,000 renters across New York City could face eviction proceedings when housing courts fully reopen, leading to an eviction crisis of unprecedented magnitude, reports MarketWatch.

The Legal Aid Society as been working non-stop to reach out to vulnerable renters, holding “virtual town halls” as know your rights information sessions to educate them about their legal rights in such cases.

“People are pretty scared, pretty desperate,” Judith Goldiner, head of the civil law reform unit for The Legal Aid Society, said. “We’re just going to be trying to hold the line until we can get some money from Congress.”