Everything takes too long. Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents landlords, said tenants don't need lawyers. Most of the judges are former Legal Aid people and tenant lawyers. Housing Court is seen as the last barrier to preventing homelessness. It's supposed to resolve disputes quickly, not prolong them.
Court officials insist improvements are on the way.
The proposed state budget calls for five additional housing judges, and the system's chief administrator, Judge Fern Fisher-Brandveen, wants 25 more judges. A courthouse only for housing cases is supposed to open in the Bronx in September. We want it to be more accessible, more humane. A glimpse at the fourth-floor hallway in Brooklyn Housing Court last week suggested that will not be easy. In a nearby courtroom, Judge Peter Wendt rubbed his eyes while an interpreter tried yet again to translate a question about an electricity bill to a Russian immigrant.