10 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 23, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Astoria tenants sue to stop dorm eviction BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com/ @AngelaMatua A group of tenants living in an apartment in Astoria owned by a Christian nonprofi t fi led a lawsuit on Feb. 17 against the organization aft er the owner notifi ed them that the building would be converted into a homeless shelter. New York School of Urban Ministry (NYSUM), which owns a 39-unit dormitory at 31-65 46th St., told tenants in November that they would have to leave the building because the organization signed a contract with a homeless shelter provider. Tenants, along with elected offi cials such as Senator Michael Gianaris, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and Assemblylwoman Aravella Simotas, scrambled to reverse this decision by Pastor Peter DeArruda, the executive vice president of the ministry. A rally was held in front of the building in December, Congressman Joseph Crowley asked Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate the nonprofi t and the Legal Aid Tenants are suing their landlord after they were told their apartment building would become a homeless shelter. Society worked closely with tenants to craft a lawsuit that was fi led, the Daily News reported. Th e nonprofi t, which “hosts, trains and deploys over 5,000 youth and adults for urban ministry” in New York City every year, notifi ed its tenants at the end of November that they had one month to vacate the premises. Th ey were given an extra month at their dorms if they signed away their rights to an appearance in housing court. Rent for the rooms start at $425 and tenants have said that they cannot aff ord market-rate apartments if they are kicked out. DeArruda claims that the organization is facing fi nancial hardship and cannot aff ord to File photo/THE COURIER keep running the building as is. But public records show that the property was fully paid for by 2014 and the organization makes $200,000 per year in rent from the tenants. Th e suit claimed that “Plaintiff s will be irreparably harmed if this court does not grant their request for preliminary relief as they will likely be evicted from their homes before they have an opportunity to fully litigate their claim here,” according to the Daily News. Attorney Sateesh Nori said the suit claims that the apartments are subject to rent stabilization. Th e Rent Stabilization Law gives tenants the rights to renewable leases every year. Th e nonprofi t did not give tenants that option and even though NYSUM is a charity, it does not meet any legal requirements that would make them exempt from this law. Lauren Gray, spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), told QNS in December that NYSUM lied about the status of the tenants. Th e nonprofi t told DHS that missionary students were living in the dorms and they would be vacating the units soon. When DHS found out that the landlord wanted to kick out permanent tenants, they “immediately stopped any consideration of this property.” Schneiderman’s offi ce sent a letter to DeArruda to ask that the eviction notices be rescinded until the Queens Supreme Court makes a decision on the rent stabilization status of the dorms. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.10% 7-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.25% 13-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must have or open any Flushing Bank Complete Checking account.2 Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile3 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you. 1. New money only. APY effective January 19, 2017. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. 2. A Flushing Bank checking account with a $5,000 minimum balance is required to receive the advertised rate. Certain fees, minimum balance requirements and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 3. Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Mobile carrier fees may apply. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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