In this issue: Greetings from NNJLS; Gratitude for NNJLS Volunteers and Supporters; NJ Landlord-Tenant Mediation; Programa de Mediación entre Propietarios-Inquilinos; NNJLS Staff Members Receive Awards from Legal Services of New Jersey; NNJLS Staff Members Recognized for Their Years of Service; NNJLS Annual Report - 2019; NNJLS Staff Spotlight; and more.   

Greetings from NNJLS

As friends, partners, and clients of Northeast New Jersey Legal Services, we write to you with a message of hope, community, and strength. As we approach the new year we want to thank each of you for bearing with us during one of the most difficult years in our history. We understand that it has been a very challenging year for everyone. And for those of you who have been directly affected by the pandemic through illness or the loss of a loved one, you have our deepest sympathies. We understand just how difficult this time of year must be for you.

The events of this spring and summer have exposed the deep rifts in our communities and COVID-19 has laid bare on a national and global scale pervasive social and economic inequities that all of us in legal services have been combating since our inception. The pandemic has deeply impacted our communities and, in many ways, the resulting economic crisis is in its early stages; its effects may be with us for years. And for legal services and our clients, there is an additional crisis which has yet to unfold. As courts begin to reopen in the new year and clients are faced with even greater financial stress, we will undoubtedly see even greater dislocation and suffering than we have seen to date.

The new year will bring us new vaccines to fight this terrible disease and with them comes the promise of some semblance of a return to a normal life. While that sounds pretty good we must also remember that many people were suffering before the pandemic and that a “normal life” for them too often meant eviction, DV, the inability to obtain and maintain employment as well as many other injustices. And so our work continues.

Yet, despite all this, there is reason to hope. Our move to a virtual environment showed us new ways to better interact with clients and the community, ways that we will continue even when offices and courts open again fully. We’ve hired new staff attorneys and paralegals to ensure efficient and expert handling of cases. We have a new outreach plan actively in place to reach more of our neighbors and friends in their communities. We are accepting a broader range of cases and applicants. Our volunteers continue to step up and help us meet the growing demand. As we take time this holiday season to reflect on this past year, we all remain energized and eager to serve.

NNJLS will keep aggressively advocating for the rights of our clients. It continues to be our highest honor to help our clients build power and stay safe. In community there is strength. Together, we can combat the systemic oppression that tries to silence the voices of those directly impacted by injustice and inequality. Together, we can amplify the voices of our clients in support of positive change and equal justice for all.

Thank you for your ongoing support. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe, healthy, and happy as we end this year and enter a new one with renewed hope and commitment.

Warmest regards,

Jack Fitzgerald

Executive Director

Grateful for You

To our volunteers and supporters – each of you has made so much possible in this uniquely challenging year. Our volunteers helped us close over 250 cases this year and volunteered over 1,000 hours to clients while balancing your own lives in the face of a pandemic. Though we’ve been working and communicating virtually, I’ve been reminded of how deeply connected we truly are. None of us can go it alone and that's why the pro bono team at NNJLS has never been more grateful for our volunteers.

Together with the NNJLS staff, our volunteers are central to creating systemic change to transform the lives of people living in poverty and to address disparities that deny people a fair and substantive opportunity to achieve justice. The new year starts in less than two weeks. We need you to help us advocate for our clients while we tackle whatever 2021 may bring. I hope in the new year you continue partnering with us as a volunteer whether or not you are an attorney—and please invite your colleagues and friends to join too!

Each and every day, we’re working to provide more hopes and futures to our neighbors in need. But we couldn’t do it without you. Whatever you can offer, I promise we will make it count. From all of us on the pro bono team, we wish you a healthy and safe new year.

Warmest regards,

Cindy Lou Cuesta

Director, Pro Bono Partnerships Project

Landlord-Tenant

Mediation Program

Authored by Lawrence (“Larry”) Sindoni, Esq. – Managing Attorney, NNJLS Housing Law Unit

On July 28, 2020, the New Jersey Courts published Directive 20-20 that established a virtual mediation program for landlord/tenant eviction cases. Landlord/tenant mediations will be conducted by either video or telephone; no in-person mediation sessions will occur. The Court also made changes to the eviction papers tenants will receive and will include new notices regarding the mediation program and available resources.

What Tenants Will Receive If Their Landlord Files

an Eviction Case During COVID-19

Tenants receiving eviction papers should receive the following documents:

• Summons and Complaint - These are the papers notifying you that the landlord has filed an eviction case. The Summons will NOT list a court date because eviction trials are suspended due to COVID-19. The complaint will list the reasons for the eviction (most likely nonpayment of rent).
• Tenant Notice - explains that a remote pre-trial settlement conference (mediation) will be scheduled and asks the tenant to contact the court.
• Landlord-Tenant Information Sheet - provides landlords and tenants with information on where they can seek help, including financial assistance, provides information on the suspension of cases, and the use of security deposits during COVID-19. It also provides information on legal and other assistance.
• Initial Contact Notice - informs the tenant to contact the court by email or telephone. It notes that a trial has NOT been scheduled and it requests the tenant participate in mediation.
• Pretrial/Settlement Conference Scheduling Notice - this document informs the tenant that a virtual mediation session has been scheduled, it provides the date and also indicates how it will occur (via Video or Telephone). Mediation will NOT be conducted in-person.
• Pretrial Settlement/Conference Information Sheet - notifies the tenant that mediation is voluntary. It explains that “you do not have to settle your case” but if you do settle you understand the terms, especially if you have agreed to a judgment of possession (an eviction).

What Tenants Should Do

Tenants who receive eviction papers or mediation papers should immediately contact an attorney to determine their best options. Tenants experiencing poverty and residing in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties may contact Northeast New Jersey Legal Services at (201) 792-6363 or NNJLS@LSNJ.org.  

Remember, mediation is voluntary and you do not have to settle the case. Cases that do not settle will eventually be scheduled for trial in the future. Even if you do settle the case and agree to vacate, lockouts for residential tenants remain suspended until at least the end of December 2020 (although this date may change).

Programa de Mediación entre Propietarios-Inquilinos

Escrito por Lawrence ("Larry") Sindoni, Esq. - Abogado Gerente, Unidad de Derecho de Vivienda de NNJLS

El 28 de julio de 2020, los Tribunales de Nueva Jersey publicaron la Directiva 20-20 que estableció un programa de mediación virtual para casos de desalojo de propietarios /inquilinos.  Las mediaciones entre propietarios/inquilinos se llevarán a cabo por video o por teléfono; no habrá sesiones de mediación en persona.  El Tribunal también hizo cambios en los documentos de desalojo que recibirán los inquilinos y incluirá nuevos avisos sobre el programa de mediación y los recursos disponibles.

Qué Recibirán los Inquilinos si su Propietario Presenta un Caso de Desalojo Durante el COVID-19

Los inquilinos que reciban documentos de desalojo deben recibir los siguientes documentos:

• Citación y Demanda - Estos son los documentos que le notifican que el propietario ha presentado un caso de desalojo. La citación NO incluirá una fecha de corte porque los juicios de desalojo están suspendidos debido a COVID-19. La demanda enumerará las razones del desalojo (lo más probable por no pago de renta).
• Aviso al Inquilino - explica que se programará un juicio para una reunión de conciliación previa (mediación) remota y le pedira al inquilino que se comunique con el tribunal.
• Hoja de Información del Propietario y Inquilino proporciona a los propietarios y inquilinos información sobre dónde pueden buscar ayuda, incluyendo asistencia financiera, proporciona información sobre la suspensión de casos y el uso de depósitos de seguridad durante el COVID-19. También proporciona información sobre asistencia jurídica y de otro tipo.
• Aviso de Contacto Inicial - informa al inquilino que se comunique con el tribunal por correo electrónico o por teléfono. Señala que NO se ha programado un juicio y solicita que el inquilino participe en la mediación.
• Aviso de Programación de la Conferencia Previa al Juicio/conciliación - este documento informa al inquilino que se ha programado una sesión de mediación virtual, proporciona la fecha y también indica cómo ocurrirá (por video o teléfono). La mediación NO se llevará a cabo en persona.
• Hoja de Información sobre la Conferencia Previa al Juicio/Conciliación - notifica al inquilino que la mediación es voluntaria. Explica que “no tiene que llegar a un acuerdo en su caso”, pero si lo hace, comprende los términos, especialmente si ha aceptado una sentencia de posesión (un desalojo).

Lo Que los Inquilinos Deben Hacer

Los inquilinos que reciban documentos de desalojo o de mediación deben comunicarse de inmediato con un abogado para determinar sus mejores opciones. Los inquilinos en situación de pobreza y que residen en los condados de Bergen, Hudson y Passaic pueden comunicarse con los Servicios Legales del Noreste de Nueva Jersey (Northeast New Jersey Legal Services) al (201) 792-6363 o NNJLS@LSNJ.org.

Recuerde, la mediación es voluntaria y no tiene que resolver el caso. Los casos que no se resuelvan finalmente se programarán para juicio en el futuro. Incluso si resuelve el caso y acepta desalojar, los desalojos para inquilinos residenciales permanecerán suspendidos hasta al menos fines de diciembre de 2020 (aunque esta fecha puede cambiar).

NNJLS Staff Members

Receive Awards from

Legal Services of New Jersey

NNJLS Staff Members Recognized for Their

Years of Service

5 Years

Alex Blum, Esq.

Rinu Cherian

Mervin Evertz

Aggie Papis, Esq.

10 Years

Elliston Panton, CPA

20 Years

Myra Metzger, Esq.

25 Years

Basmati Adams

35 Years

Iris Rosa-Diaz

40 years

Miriam Martinez

45 Years

Nila Alonzo

Greg Diebold, Esq.

NNJLS is incredibly grateful for their continued service, dedication, and advocacy!

NNJLS's 2019 Annual Report is available now! To read the entire annual report, please click here. To download the annual report in PDF, please click on the button below.

NNJLS Staff Spotlight:

Francheska Thomas

Francheska's first memory at NNJLS is being nervous about calling her first client. Once she finished the client's intake, Francheska knew she was helping someone on the other end of the phone; that knowledge put her at ease and took the nerves away.

Having been at NNJLS for over two years, Francheska has made many more memories including one that may be a favorite of many NNJLS staff members: "breaking bread" with her NNJLS coworkers during lunch. Francheska would say her favorite NNJLS memory is definitely the lunchtime chats that involve talking with valued and cherish coworkers about everything and anything. Indeed, Francheska says that the lunchtime gatherings are the one thing she misses the most while working remotely during COVID-19. Anyone who has passed through an NNJLS breakroom during lunchtime knows just how much it resembles a family kitchen table full of joyous laughter, stimulating conversation, and delicious food.

Francheska may not be a part of the official NNJLS welcoming committee for new hires, but that does not stop her from being a bright, guiding light for the newest NNJLS family members. For new hires at NNJLS, Francheska recommends being open-minded and to learn as you go. She stresses that you should never be afraid to ask questions. If that were not enough, Francheska believes NNJLS has the most professional attorneys she has ever seen (said with great pride in the firm and her colleagues). Francheska says that NNJLS’s “free” service does not mean clients are receiving substandard help, but quite the opposite: NNJLS attorneys, in her opinion, work harder than many attorneys in private practice.

Francheska's help to neighbors and community members does not end at 5:00 PM; she continues to be a force of compassion and positive change in her community and congregation. While Francheska's husband is a pastor at a local Hispanic church, Iglesia Jovenes Cristianos, Francheska does not consider herself a traditional “first lady” of the congregation. Whether playing the drums (for 18 years), lifting up spirits in song, or teaching bible school on Wednesday, Francheska has her hands full of ministry and spiritual work.

It then comes as no surprise that Francheska's compassion knows no bounds: for Thanksgiving every year, Francheska helps provide food to community members experiencing homelessness. On this Thanksgiving, Francheska gave out a “blessed bag” full of PPEs and other items to help ensure community members experiencing homelessness stay safe during COVID-19.

"Above and beyond" are not quite strong enough words to describe Francheska. If her work at NNJLS, in her community, and congregation were not enough, Francheska is an evening and weekend per diem counselor for the Kintock Group. Francheska's help spreads even further through her mental health podcast: “Mental Health with Fran” (available on Spotify, Google, and AnchorFM). Francheska is also a part of “The Girlfriends Guide," a counseling consortium formed by women of color that is a monthly series focusing on healing, health, and wellness.

Francheska earned a Master's in Counseling (July 2020) and a Bachelors in Psychology and Counseling (2017), both degrees from Pillar College. Francheska is also a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC). Hoping to use her experience as a mental health counselor to truly bring equitable justice to her community, Francheska has plans to enter law school in the near future.

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind." This quote aptly sums up not only Francheska's view toward helping NNJLS clients, but for those who have the pleasure of knowing and working with her, it is also a testament to her kindness and compassion. These qualities (and many more!) are precisely why NNJLS is grateful to have Francheska be a part of the NNJLS family.

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