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The City Council recently held a hearing on a bill, known as 214-a, that would make New York City the first jurisdiction in the country to guarantee lawyers for any low-income residents facing eviction. Unlike defendants in criminal cases, individuals who cannot afford an attorney in civil proceedings, such as Housing Court cases, are not entitled to state-provided counsel. The hearing was held more than two years after the legislation was first proposed. Under the measure, tenants who make below 200 percent of the federal poverty line would qualify.
