Hi, I’m Dani. I've been a childcare worker for several years in Brooklyn, NY and have been dealing with housing, financial and health issues as of late.

I am now in court against the landlord of my building following an organized rent strike that started due to a bizarre and unexpected 35% rent increase back in 2022 which my roommates and I simply cannot afford. With our collective questioning and concern about the legality of that, we began looking for resources and support to determine how we should handle this increase. After lots of pressure using our well rounded voices and help from a local tenant union, we managed to settle with a legal rent stabilized increase of 3%. This was a victory for us! Upon meeting our neighbors, we learned they were facing the same unnecessary increase. We got together and started to take on this issue by gathering our countless habitability complaints along with the attempted rent increase that the landlord claims to be legal. My participation in the Brooklyn Eviction Defense Tenant Union has taught me so much about how to fight and win against landlords who use loopholes to harass, discourage and displace tenants around Brooklyn. Now, three units in my building are actively in housing court to prove our case. This is a hard and costly battle but we are determined to win. The landlord is hoping to win in order to collect our rent, plus interest and evict us as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the housing court justice system is a tough system to work through and is overwhelmed with cases. I’ve resorted to hiring a lawyer after trying to qualify for free representation as a household at various tenant protection organizations, organizations that remain historically overworked.

These deceptive practices from Outpost Club, the coliving building management company for the property I live in, and Oved Group, my landlord, are not unique to this address either. As covered in an article by The City, cockroach infestations, leaking roofs and heating issues are the norm here and at other properties managed under the supervision of Outpost Club, often at the directive of landlords like mine. As of now, there are 11 open violations with our building.

As a result of the pending court case and landlord-favoring (in)justice system, there is a chance that we will all have to pay back the rent plus interest, putting me and my roommates in a precarious situation that would be tremendously devastating. We refuse to allow the landlord's evil tactics to discourage us and get us evicted from the place we’ve made into a home in our four years of living here.

While all this has been going on, I personally have faced several challenges of my own which has ultimately led me to ask for help from friends and family. After abruptly losing my former job without notice, along with the termination of a generous grant check I was receiving from a city program, I’ve been struggling to keep up with basic life expenses on top of the rent I should be saving month to month. Additionally, a consistent, draining illness had impacted my ability to work during the winter into spring which just added to the major stress of it all. I was recently diagnosed with a condition that explains a lot of the symptoms I had and still deal with but lost my health insurance therefore cannot affordably learn how to manage/control my symptoms.

I struggle with asking for help and have attempted to handle this all on my own but with the patience and care from my loved ones I learned the importance of community and that these things cannot be dealt with independently. This process has obviously taken its toll on me mentally, physically, and emotionally. As a result, I’m reaching out to my community to help me work through these challenges and ensure that this is a stand for housing justice.

Thank you <3