By Bill Parry
More than a dozen low-income residents of the New York School of Urban Ministry dormitory residence in Astoria have moved out ahead of a Jan. 31 eviction date after the building was sold to a provider to turn the dormitory into a shelter.
The residents who have stayed are still working with the Legal Aid Society to remain in their homes past that deadline, but they have grown disheartened after one resident sent a check to the Christian non-profit for next month’s rent, only to have it returned with a note saying “contact our attorney,” sources said.
State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) urged the state’s attorney general to investigate NYSUM Pastor Peter DeArruda for evicting the 39 residents during the holiday season.
In their letter to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the lawmakers said the majority of the residents pay rent of between $400 and $500 a month, and would not be able to afford market-rate apartments in New York City. They pointed out “NYSUM confirmed that they intend to remove these tenants in order to operate a homeless shelter on the site, which these tenants may very well need due to NYSUM’s actions.” The elected officials said DeArruda suggested the non-profit organization was losing money on the residence and is general facing hardships.
“At a time, when our city is grappling with an unprecedented homelessness crisis, we need to make sure we’re doing everything possible to keep people in their homes and protect them from unscrupulous landlords or any undue hardship that might result from their poor management,” Crowley said. The lawmakers included a document that indicates the property is fully paid off and owned by NYSUM, clear of any mortgage.
Schneiderman received the letter and discussed the case with the state Education Department, which has primary jurisdiction over educational institutions, but his office would not comment further. Gianaris’s spokeswoman Liza Acevedo said Schneiderman’s office “reached out to Pastor DeArruda, who said he’s still moving forward.”
Gianaris announced Monday that he will introduce legislation that would prohibit tenant blacklisting. Currently, when tenants assert their rights in court in a landlord-tenant action, they can find themselves on a blacklist that keeps them from being able to secure future housing. Residents of NYSUM expressed concerns about protecting their rights to housing in court due to possible blacklisting.
“Too many residents get the short end of the stick simply by asserting their legal rights,” Gianaris said. “We cannot allow unscrupulous landlords to discriminate against tenants who are simply fighting to keep a roof over their heads.”
Over 90 percent of landlords are now represented by attorneys in New York City Housing Court, while far fewer than 10 percent of tenants do not have legal representation, according to Gianaris, who continues to visit the remaining tenants of the residence urging them to stay in their homes and work with the Legal Aid Society.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at or by phone at (718) 260–4538.
