Harlem Community Justice Center

Harlem Community Justice Center

Highlights

  • Youth Impact

    Youth can be transformative leaders, addressing inequity in their communities and the factors that lead to youth involvement in the criminal legal system.  

  • Housing Resource Centers

    Through housing, financial, and legal assistance, we help tenants navigate housing court to resolve critical repairs and prevent evictions.

Photo Gallery

HCJC staff screenshot from Housing video
Helping Tenants Help Themselves

This video shines a spotlight on our Housing Help Center, which provides extensive outreach to the community during COVID-19, when many tenants are more vulnerable than ever. Staff empower tenants to advocate for their rights and help residents navigate Housing Court.

Harlem distributes PPE during Covid-19
Serving Our Community

Harlem staff and participants distribute PPE, such as masks and gloves, to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep people healthy and safe. The Men's Empowerment Program alone handed out 50,000 masks in 2020. 

staff learning together
Learning Together

Staff from across the Center came together for a first-of-its-kind immersive experience to explore all facets of our community-based programing. Harlem staff joined to talk about their community and youth programming. (pre-COVID)

HCJC at MCC at Summer Solstice
Keeping Families Safely Housed

Rafael shares information on the Housing Help Center to get tenants access to critical repairs and provide them with the tools and information needed to prevent evictions and homelessness. (pre-COVID)

Publications & Digital Media

  • Video

    Harlem Community Justice Center's Housing Fair

    In August 2022, the Harlem Community Justice Center hosted a Housing Resource Fair that connected local residents with a wide range of agencies and providers to help them access key services, such as rent relief, critical home repairs, and legal services to fight evictions. The fair showcased the tremendous demand for housing stability services in the East Harlem community and Justice Center’s ongoing efforts to help residents access resources and tenant protections close to their homes.

  • Publication

    Fact Sheet: Housing Justice

    Housing is a human right and the foundation for strong communities. Access to a safe and affordable home creates economic and community stability. This fact sheet highlights the challenges and how our staff are working to prevent evictions, help landlords address health hazards, and increase tenant financial and legal empowerment. By addressing issues early, we keep people safely housed and avoid legal system involvement that can affect employment, family security, and future access to stable housing.

  • Publication

    Eviction Prevention and Mental Health

    While eviction is a universally stressful event, people with mental health conditions can face unique obstacles with housing retention for reasons related specifically to their disability. This guide provides a review of housing settings and specific risks of eviction for individuals with mental illness before focusing on housing court and the challenges these individuals and court personnel face therein and identifies junctures at which supportive, problem-solving interventions can ensure the necessary community supports and legal representation.

See All Publications and Digital Media 

News

  • The Urgent Need to Fund Public Housing Residents

    Gotham Gazette

    Nearly half of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) households are behind on rent, to the tune of $454 million, yet there is still no policy or funding solution in sight. Federal and state government-provided funding to help tenants pay rent during the pandemic placed people in subsidized housing, including NYCHA residents, last in line. In this Gotham Gazette op-ed, Center Executive Director Courtney Bryant calls for government relief, saying "We cannot abandon NYCHA tenants or the buildings they call home. In the short-term, we must provide immediate relief to the nearly 50% of households who have fallen behind on rent."

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