NEW AT LEGAL SERVICES NYC

NEW YORK, NY (August 22, 2023) – Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the nation’s largest provider of free civil legal help to low-income New Yorkers, is proud to announce that Greg Klemm will join the organization in September 2023 as Chief Financial Officer. Klemm will oversee LSNYC’s financial responsibilities and strategies, including compliance for government (federal, state, and city) contracts and private grants, yearly budget planning and implementation, overseeing all accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems, and managing the overall financial health of the organization. LSNYC has a budget of more than $110 million from over 200 federal, state, city, foundation, and donor sources.

QUEENS, NY (July 31, 2023) – Rent-stabilized tenants in three buildings owned by Zara Realty (140-60 Beech Avenue, 140-30 Ash Avenue, and 140-50 Ash Avenue) held a press conference in Queens yesterday to demand that Zara Realty stop tenant harassment, including asking for birth and marriage certificates, charging unnecessary fees for keys and move-ins, and trying to unlawfully raise rents by filing Major Capital Improvement (MCI) applications with the NYS Department of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR), the state agency that oversees rent stabilized buildings in New York. Tenants called on DHCR to deny Zara’s applications due to building disrepairs and apply the letter of the law which prohibits MCIs while certain violations exist. Zara, which manages more than 2,500 rent-stabilized apartments across Queens, is notorious for deceptive rent practices and intimidation tactics and is being sued by the NYS Attorney General Letitia James. Tenants are being organized by CHHAYA CDC and Catholic Migration Services and represented by Queens Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition.