The Task Force's 2008 Annual Training Series starts March 11! Space is limited -- register TODAY ! The complete schedule appears below.

Click Here to register

To download a training packet on the Work Advantage program, which was the subject of the March 25th workshop, click here. Please note: This is a very large file and may take as long as an hour to download, depending on connection speed. We recommend that you right click the link and select "save file as" rather than downloading it directly.

We also do workshops for organizations throughout the year. If your organization is interested in receiving training in one or more of the topics below, please contact our ofice on (212) 962-4795.

2008 Annual Training Series

ALL WORKSHOPS START AT 2 P.M. EVERY TUESDAY at the Brooklyn Neighborhood Office of The Legal Aid Society, 111 Livingston Street, 7th Floor Conference Room (unless otherwise indicated in the reception area of the office) in Downtown Brooklyn. Use Hopstop or the MTA's Trip Planner to get directions to the office.

March 11 : An Overview of Housing Court. This workshop introduces housing court to advocates, with basic information about the different types of cases heard at the court, procedures and court forms, and resources available to help. The workshop also discusses City-Wide’s housing court reform agenda and discusses the training series workshops scheduled.
Presented by Louise Seeley, Executive Director of the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court

March 18 : Rent Regulation Today.This workshop will give an overview of the rent regulation system and discuss recent changes in the rent stabilization law and policy changes at DHCR. We will also cover tips for fighting non-primary residence and succession cases.
Presented by Yarrow Willman-Cole of the West Side SRO Law Project, Anderson Fils-Aimé of Tenants & Neighbors and Joe Catron of the Metropolitan Council on Housing. .

March 25 : Work Advantage - How does it work? This workshop discusses the city’s not so new, but still not understood, rent subsidy program known as Work Advantage. The training will discuss all five different subsidies available under the program, provide information on helping clients trying to obtain Work Advantage and helping Advantage clients navigate the rules of the program once they are on it.
Presented by Lindsey Davis of the Coalition for the Homeless and Josh Goldfein of The Legal Aid Society.

April 1 : Getting Help Paying Back Rent. This workshop focuses on how New Yorkers facing rent debts can obtain help paying those debts from HRA and private charities. We will discuss the one-shot deal process and the Emergency Rent Coalition. Advocates will be trained on how to prepare clients for interviews with charities and what documentation is needed for a successful application.
Presented by Susan Bahn of The Legal Aid Society, Maria Toledo of the Bridge Fund of New York City and Emilia Santana of the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court.

April 8 : Programs Available Through the Court. Housing Court is home to a variety of programs that aim to prevent evictions and otherwise serve New Yorkers with housing court cases. This workshop introduces and explains various programs available at the Housing Court, including: Court Interpreters, the Housing Help Program, Resolution Assistance Program, and Assigned Counsel. A discussion of the relative merits of each program will ensue.
Roundtable discussion with Jo Gonsalves of the United Way of New York City, Amy Taylor of Legal Services for New York City, Josiris Ureña of the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court and a representative from the Office of Court Administration.

April 15 : NYCHA Termination of Tenancy Proceedings. This workshop explains the process the housing authority follows in terminating a NYCHA resident’s tenancy.
Presented by Lisa Burriss of Public Housing Residents of the Lower East Side and Jacqueline Burger of the Community Service Society.

April 22 : Human Rights & Housing Court. This workshop will analyze Housing Court within the context of a right to adequate housing in order to encourage a discussion on how the human rights approach might be useful to our housing campaigns.
Presented by Vincent Villano of the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court.

April 29: Harassment as a Cause of Action. Tenant harassment is a growing and difficult problem for advocates because available remedies are largely ineffective. Proposed legislation would allow tenants to sue their landlords for harassment at Housing Court. This workshop will explain the legislation recently introduced by the City Council and will discuss practical application of this new tool.
Presented by Benjamin Dulchin of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development and Ed Josephson of Legal Services for New York City.

May 6: Advocating at Housing Court. Housing advocates frequently assist tenants with Housing Court cases. This workshop discusses the pitfalls to avoid and the tactics advocates can use to obtain the best outcomes for their clients at Housing Court.
Presented by Anderson Fils-Aimé of Tenants & Neighbors and Justin Haines of The Legal Aid Society.

May 13: Getting Repairs. Tenants with violations in their apartment have various avenues to try and get their apartments up to code. Tenants can file HP Actions to obtain repairs and services to their apartments and buildings. Rent stabilized apartments can file with DHCR and NYCHA tenants have the centralized complain system. This workshop explains how to file these cases and discusses the problems people face when using the Housing Court to obtain repairs and services to their homes.
Presented by Joe Lamport of the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court and Andrew Lehrer of the Legal Aid Society.