(Webcast) Homeowner Stability: Protecting LGBTQ Seniors and Disabled

Friday, June 26, 2020 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Register for the Live Webcast

Program Co-Instructors:

Kurt M. Denk
Pro Bono Counsel
City Bar Justice Center

K. Scott Kohanowski
Director of the Homeowner Stability and LGBT Advocacy Projects
City Bar Justice Center

  • LGBTQ senior and disabled New York homeowners have long enriched our city’s distinctive cultural fabric and anchored diverse neighborhoods across all five boroughs, but are among those especially vulnerable to housing instability as ever increasing property values, income disparity and population growth cause unnecessary home loss. Now, COVID-19, economic collapse, and civil unrest magnify and exacerbate housing insecurity for those with low to moderate and fixed income, members of racial and sexual minorities, and the very young and very old. Seniors and those living with disabilities are especially vulnerable to loss of their home, whether through difficulty managing finances and the challenge of meeting increasing housing expenses on fixed or reduced income, predatory activity by opportunistic investors, elder/disabled abuse, or simply isolation and diminishing capacity. Additionally, many LGBTQ individuals, especially seniors, have no children to monitor their affairs or are estranged from family as a legacy of when society was much less accepting. LGBTQ seniors and those with disabilities have also faced historic discrimination in the workplace and more limited access to opportunities. This CLE will address legal issues that affect senior and disabled LGBTQ homeowners and provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused roadmap and resources to help advise this community on how to age in place or transition to new housing options with dignity and safety.

    Program Fee:
    Free for Members & Members of Co-Sponsoring Organizations
    $50 for Nonmembers

  • I. Introduction – 5 mins (Gregory Binstock)
    A. Presenters
    B. CBJC and Homeowner Stability/LGBT Advocacy Projects

    II. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practice Roadmap – 45 mins (Kurt Denk)
    A. Why Pro Bono LGBTQ Senior & Disabled Homeowner Advocacy?
    B. Key DEI Concepts
    C. Roadmap Markers for DEI-Informed LGBTQ Senior & Disabled Homeowner Advocacy
    D. Pause for Questions/Break

    III. Budgeting for Homeowners – 15 mins (Scott Kohanowski)
    A. Real Property and Coop Overview
    B. Financial Assessment and Budgeting
    C. Increasing Income and Maximizing Benefits

    IV. Life and Estate Planning: Protecting Seniors and/or Disabled LGBT Homeowners – 5 mins (Scott Kohanowski)

    V. Foreclosure Processes & Prevention – 15 mins (Scott Kohanowski)
    A. Overview
    B. Residential Mortgages
    C. Condo Charges/Coop Maintenance Arrears
    D. Tax and Water/Sewer Liens
    E. Loss Mitigation and Bankruptcy

    VI. Scams & Predatory Behavior- 5 mins (Scott Kohanowski)

    VII. Case Examples and Q&A – 20 mins (Kurt Denk and Scott Kohanowski)

  • New York: 1.0 Total: 1.0 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias
    New Jersey: 2.0 General
    California: 1.0 Elimination of Bias and 1.0 General
    Pennsylvania: 0.5 Professional Responsibility and 1.0 General
    Connecticut: Available to Licensed Attorneys

  • Sponsoring Association Committees:
    Housing and Urban Development, Daniel M. Bernstein and Jennifer Kubicki, Co-Chairs
    Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights, Noah E. Lewis and Geoffrey L. Wertime, Co-Chairs
    Mortgage Foreclosure Task Force, Steven J. Helfont, Chair

    Co-Sponsoring Organizations:
    City Bar Justice Center, Lynn Kelly, Executive Director
    LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York

    Sponsorship Opportunities are Available! Please Contact:
    Angie Avila, Manager, Membership Outreach and Sponsorships | (212) 382-6608 | aavila@nycbar.org

Register for the Live Webcast