The New Jersey State Bar Association is seeking volunteers for a series of legal clinics to provide help to people facing housing issues stemming from the public health pandemic.
The clinics will focus on helping people with tenant certifications and rental assistance applications. The clinics are a collaborative effort with Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ), Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) and the Community Health Law Project, and are part of the work of Seton Hall School of Law’s new Housing Justice Project. The details of future outreach efforts are currently under discussion, given the ongoing public health crisis.
The Eviction Protection Act, signed this past August, provides for protection from eviction for rent owed from March 2020 through August 2021 by low- and moderate-income tenants (with some additional protections for low-income tenants). In order to obtain the protections, tenants must file a certification with state Department of Community Affairs. Although there are more than 50,000 pending evictions cases (and countless others who may have rent issues, but the landlord has not yet filed), only 11,000 households have filed for eviction protection. Many tenants need guidance navigating that process. To address that need, volunteers will provide on-site assistance.
It is not necessary for attorneys to have experience in the field. Seton Hall’s Center for Social Justice (CSJ), LSNJ and VLJ recently offered volunteers a virtual, free, 75-minute training webinar on the process. Continuing legal education credits were for participation in the live broadcast of the training, which was recorded and is available for viewing.
On the days of the clinics, the volunteers will be teamed up with law students and meet with clients in-person or in a Zoom breakout room. The attorney-law student team will review the client’s tenancy issues and assist the tenant in filing the self-certification and, if applicable, a rental assistance application. Representatives from LSNJ, VLJ and Seton Hall’s CSJ will be on hand to assist those with more complicated issues or questions.
Volunteers will earn Madden credits for the work at the legal clinics.
To volunteer, email you contact information to [email protected].