Urban Justice Center

THE URBAN JUSTICE CENTER WAS ESTABLISHED TO ENGAGE IN LEGAL ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THE HOMELESS, INDIGENT, DISENFRANCHISED, AND THOSE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC WHO HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF CIVIL AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS IN THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA.

MS. W IS A BRONX TENANT WHO, LIKE SO MANY NEW YORK WORKERS OF COLOR, LOST HER JOB AS A DATA ENTRY SPECIALIST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SHE THEN CONTRACTED AND SURVIVED COVID, ONLY TO FACE EVICTION BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T KEEP UP WITH HER RENT PAYMENTS. MS. W HAS LIVED IN HER APARTMENT FOR 22 YEARS AND WITH NO EMPLOYMENT, HER CHANCES OF SECURING A NEW APARTMENT WERE NEXT TO NONE. AS PART OF THE CITY'S RIGHT TO COUNSEL INITIATIVE, UJC'S SAFETY NET PROJECT (SNP) TOOK ON MS. W'S CASE. SNP REPRESENTED MS. W IN HOUSING COURT DURING THE PANDEMIC, APPEARING VIRTUALLY. THROUGH CREATIVE LITIGATION PRACTICE, SNP WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE EVICTION CASE AGAINST MS. W DISMISSED ENTIRELY AND THE DECISION IN HER CASE WAS EVEN PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK LAW JOURNAL. WITHOUT AN EVICTION CASE HANGING OVER HER HEAD, MS. W WENT ON TO APPLY TO NEW YORK'S EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ERAP), SO SHE CAN CLEAR ANY OUTSTANDING RENTAL ARREARS AND CONTINUE RECOVERING FROM THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC. SNP CLOSED 2,719 CASES BENEFITTING 5,040 PEOPLE.

VARIOUS OTHER PROGRAMS.

IN THE YEAR AHEAD, DVP WILL TAKE THE LESSONS LEARNED DURING THE PANDEMIC AND APPLY THEM TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE THE WAY WE APPROACH OUR WORK. WHEN WE PIVOTED SERVICES TO THE REMOTE WORLD, WE NOTICED A GREATER ABILITY TO ACCESS SURVIVORS WHO WOULD NORMALLY BE UNABLE TO PHYSICALLY REACH OUR OFFICES. WE REACHED 6X THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THROUGH OUTREACH EFFORTS THIS YEAR THAN IN THE YEAR PREVIOUS. SO, WHILE THE NEED REMAINS, OUR SERVICES WILL ADAPT TO OUR NEW WAY OF LIVING AND OFFER HYBRID ACCESS TO SURVIVORS, ALLOWING THEM TO CHOOSE THE PATH THAT WORKS FOR THEM. DVP CLOSED 2,145 CASES BENEFITTING 5,353 PEOPLE.

AT THE SEX WORKERS PROJECT SEX WORKERS PROJECT, WE DEFEND THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF SEX WORKERS THROUGH FREE LEGAL SERVICES, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND POLICY ADVOCACY. OUR CLIENTS ARE PREDOMINANTLY MIGRANT WORKERS WHO WE ASSIST IN OBTAINING VARIOUS FORMS OF IMMIGRATION RELIEF. ME SIMPLY EXISTING AS WHO I AM IS CRIMINALIZED, WHICH MEANS I CAN'T MOVE IN THE WORLD LIKE A NORMAL PERSON WOULD. I HAVE HAD PARANOIA AROUND... WHAT IF THEY DO A BACKGROUND CHECK? IS THIS APARTMENT GONNA DO THAT? - DOMINATRIX ASHLEY PAIGE IN SEX(UAL) HEALING TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN SEX WORK AND CRIMINAL ABUSES LIKE HUMAN TRAFFICKING, WE ADVOCATE FOR THE FULL DECRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK, WHICH IS A CRITICAL HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE. THIS APPROACH BEST PROTECTS THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE SEX TRADES, BY CHOICE, CIRCUMSTANCE, OR COERCION. THROUGH OUR POLICY ADVOCACY WE ARE WORKING TO DISMANTLE NYPD VICE, AND SUPPORT STATE LEVEL DECRIMINALIZATION LEGISLATION. A FEW SUCCESSES TO DATE INCLUDE THE INTRODUCTION OF A DECRIMINALIZATION BILL IN OREGON AND THE REPEAL OF THE LOITERING FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROSTITUTION LAW IN NEW YORK (ALSO KNOWN AS THE WALKING WHILES TRANS BAN). ALSO THIS YEAR, WE HAD THE DEBUT OF SEX(UAL) HEALING, A MINI-DOC SERIES THAT TALKS ABOUT THE HEALING POWERS OF SEX WORK, FROM BOTH THE WORKER AND CLIENT PERSPECTIVE. SEX(UAL) HEALING IS ON DISPLAY NOW THROUGH FEBRUARY 2022 AT THE MUSEUM OF SEX. STAY TUNED FOR OUR NEXT EPISODE, WHICH WILL FOCUS ON SEX WORKER FAMILIES. SWP/PCYP CLOSED 130 CASES BENEFITTING 177 PEOPLE.