De Blasio: City To Invest $12.3 Million To Prevent Evictions
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday hearkened back to Pope Francis' visit last week, as he announced an effort to prevent homelessness.
As WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported, the efforts will focus on preventing evictions in neighborhoods that are being gentrified.
"We're investing $12.3 million in a very powerful tool -- free legal services for tenants facing eviction," de Blasio said.
De Blasio: City To Invest $12.3 Million To Prevent Evictions
Sheray Richardson was nearly evicted from her apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
"I think this is wonderful. I didn't know what to do," she said. "I'm a working American, a working New Yorker, but I didn't have the money to pay for a lawyer."
The goal is to relieve the city's overburdened homeless shelters, where one third of homeless families have been evicted from their apartments.