Cypress Hills Homeowner Help Desk Seeks to Aid Locals Amidst Change (Brownstoner)

East New York and Cypress Hills are in the midst of major changes, from gentrification to the 2016 rezoning that has the potential to change the area forever.

Cypress Hills Community Development Corp. seeks to maintain affordable housing in the area by helping low income and elderly homeowners stay in their homes and not fall prey to foreclosure, scams, and developer pressure tactics.

The Cypress Hills Homeowner Help Desk debuted in December and offers education, counseling and legal advice to the homeowners of Cypress Hills and East New York.

Homeowners can call the help desk about a number of problems, including management of homeowner expenses, real estate scams, repairs homeowners can’t afford, tenant problems, unpaid property violations, and tax and water liens.

“One thing people don’t know is that there is help available — and we can provide that assistance through the Help Desk. We try to talk to homeowners about the pressures and concerns in a rapidly changing area,” said Lucy Raimes, network director at Center for NYC Neighborhoods, which operates the program for Cypress Hills Community Development Corp.

(Original article in Brownstoner)