By Patrick Donachie
A Jamaica-based legal consultation nonprofit is holding several informational workshops specifically for southeast Queens residents facing housing discrimination. The sessions will also offer information to volunteers or service providers trying to assist vulnerable individuals.
Legal Hand Jamaica, located at 149-13 Jamaica Ave., will sponsor the series of workshops and information sessions that will take place each Wednesday afternoon this month , typically from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. On April 12, the nonprofit will host a workshop on income source discrimination in the housing market, specifically informing individuals on how to file a complaint with the NYC Commission on Human Rights in the event of housing discrimination.
The workshop on April 19 will concentrate on the intersection between criminal and housing laws, while the information session on April 26 will focus on single-room occupancy, and what rights SRO tenants have. The NYC Human Rights Commission will also run a clinic at Legal Hand on the first Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., where anyone with questions or concerns can speak to a human rights specialist about any illegal discrimination they may have encountered.
Legal Hand Jamaica is part of the Center for Court Innovation, which supports programs intended to result in humane reforms in the criminal justice system. Legal Hand offers an array of free legal information and referrals on a number of different legal issues New Yorkers encounter, including undocumented immigrants facing legal trouble.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
