JustFix 2020 Year in Review

This past year was a year unlike any other. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives to COVID-19; millions of people have lost their jobs; our education systems have been crippled by restrictions and lack of access. And tragically, our most vulnerable have also suffered the most: it is low-income, black and brown people who got sick at higher rates, who lost jobs at disproportionate levels, and who struggled to live in stable, healthy housing. This past year, we at JustFix saw firsthand the link between public health and housing. Tenants who already dealt with the risk of displacement, lived with the hazards of unsafe housing conditions, or who must share cramped spaces because of the cost of safe and decent housing faced increased risks this year.

In 2020, JustFix identified new and creative ways to serve our community. JustFix was uniquely positioned to support tenants fighting for safe and decent housing during a public health crisis that required a greater emphasis on remote digital services. We had over 500,000 unique visitors to our services. We helped tenants prepare thousands of letters of complaint to their landlords. We developed a new electronic filing tool to allow tenants to file Housing Court cases for repairs and harassment directly from their phones. This application, built on our existing HP Action tool, added a much-needed feature that allowed these court documents to be filed directly from a user’s device. During 2020, using this “EHP” tool, thousands of tenants were able to safely fight for safe and decent housing without exposure to COVID-19. They were able to access the legal process in a convenient and effective way, laying the groundwork for a new vision for access to justice in New York and beyond.

JustFix also developed “NoRent” in partnership with SAJE, Right to the City, and a coalition of advocacy organizations to protect renters from eviction in California and other states through information about eviction moratoriums. We launched the Design Advisory Council, to formalize our co-creation process with grassroots tenant organizing partners and to co-design new collective action interventions.

Finally, in the early days of 2021, the team at JustFix responded to calls to assist tenants to qualify for a new eviction moratorium passed by the New York State legislature in the final days of 2020. We created a hardship declaration tool, Eviction Free NY, and launched it in just a few weeks, and it has allowed thousands of tenants to delay their eviction cases in court until after May 1, 2021, buying them critical time during the peak of the pandemic.

Recent press coverage has highlighted the efforts of those, like JustFix and our allies, who are fighting for housing justice during the pandemic. The increased attention to both the need and the solutions has helped to ensure that JustFix is well-positioned to continue to be an effective advocate and an effective resource for individual tenants as well as advocacy groups that seek long-term and systemic change.

In 2021, we are confident and optimistic about our ability to continue working with other advocates in achieving greater housing justice for New Yorkers. And we are equally enthusiastic to begin to expand the JustFix approach to other cities facing similar displacement and inequality. We are planning version 2.0 of “Who Owns What,” our building research and property ownership mapping tool. We will continue to fight for protections for tenants who need rent relief and for continued eviction moratoriums.

The Board is grateful to the dedicated staff of JustFix who accomplished more than seemed possible during a turbulent year. It was only through their commitment and creativity that we were able to expand our capacity to serve.

Thanks for your continued support and engagement in this most difficult time.

The JustFix Board of Directors