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The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and Boston Tremont HDFC (Boston Tremont)—owner of Lambert Houses—are pleased to announce that, on December 3, 2024, Boston Tremont and Phipps Houses Services, Inc. (PHSI)—property manager of Lambert Houses—approved a statement of principles and services that will help tenants at Lambert Houses in the Bronx successfully recertify their Section 8 housing subsidies. These Section 8 subsidies offer critical housing assistance to tenants with low incomes who live in participating housing developments like Lambert Houses.
The statement of principles and services describes Boston Tremont’s commitment to having the Lambert Houses tenant recertification process as clear, accessible, responsive, and transparent as possible. These services include holding office hours to provide tenants with in-person help; making a tenant’s file available for their review; informing tenants which documents they need to submit for each year of recertification; and making sure tenants are only asked to provide documents that are required by law to recertify. Some of these services go meaningfully beyond what federal guidelines for Section 8 require and are intended to help tenants recertify for this valuable housing support.
Boston Tremont is also making renewed efforts for recertification to be accessible to Lambert Houses tenants with limited English proficiency and/or disabilities. Boston Tremont will give tenants Spanish-language versions of key documents like recertification notices, ensure Spanish-speaking staff will be available to assist tenants, and offer a language line for tenants who speak a language other than English or Spanish. And Boston Tremont will notify tenants about the kinds of disability accommodations that are available to help them with recertification—such as in-home assistance for the mobility-impaired—and explain how, and from whom, to request those accommodations.
Boston Tremont is also implementing an intensive assistance process for any tenants who are eligible to recertify and unable to do so on time. Boston Tremont will individually reach out to these tenants to offer targeted help with recertification, remotely or in-person. This help could include giving tenants detailed information about the documents they need to submit and a tenant-friendly rent ledger breaking down the charges the tenant is being asked to pay. Boston Tremont will communicate with these tenants in a language they can understand, and work with them to find out if they need disability accommodations or social services referrals and then will help to connect tenants to those services.
The statement of principles and services, which the boards of directors of Boston Tremont and PHSI formally ratified, reaffirms these entities’ commitment to working in good faith with Lambert Houses tenants to help them successfully recertify to avoid Housing Court eviction lawsuits. And, in instances where Boston Tremont has determined it must bring those proceedings, it will try to work collaboratively with tenants to resolve the proceedings without serving an eviction warrant. In all cases, cooperation by both Boston Tremont and tenants is essential, as both housing provider and tenant are obligated to provide information as part of the recertification process.
By no later than early April 2025, Boston Tremont will mail the statement of principles and services and an accompanying list of Frequently Asked Questions to all Lambert Houses tenants.
The statement of principles and services is the result of discussions between Boston Tremont and NYLAG, a nonprofit legal services organization that represents some Lambert Houses residents in Housing Court eviction lawsuits, to advance their organizations’ shared objective of helping Lambert Houses tenants who are eligible for federal housing subsidies maintain stable, affordable housing. The changes in services will improve the tenant experience and facilitate collaboration and cooperation between tenants and Boston Tremont staff.
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Contact Information
NYLAG
Jessica Ranucci, 212-613-7578
[email protected]
Lambert Houses/Boston Tremont
Matthew Washington, 917-748-9980
[email protected]
