Protecting the Belongings of Homeless New Yorkers: Shavon’s Law

The City Bar is urging the New York State Legislature to enact Shavon’s Law, a proposed amendment to Lien Law §182 that would prohibit self-storage facilities from auctioning a unit while a public assistance storage fee application or appeal is pending. This page provides an overview of the City Bar’s position, the current status of the legislation, and key resources related to this campaign.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

Status Snapshot

Bill: S.9870 (2025–26 Legislative Session).

Senate sponsor: Senator Luis Sepúlveda, Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee

Assembly sponsor: To be determined

Legislative status: Passed Senate Judiciary Committee, 12-0, May 19, 2026. Held in Senate Rules Committee following end of legislative session (standard end-of-session procedure).

Next step: Securing an Assembly sponsor ahead of the January 2027 session, when the bill will be reintroduced under a new number.

Who This AffectsWho This Affects

Every year, New Yorkers experiencing homelessness or housing instability rely on monthly public assistance grants from the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) and other local social services departments to pay for self-storage units where they keep their only belongings. When bureaucratic delay or error results in a missed or late payment, current law provides no mechanism to pause an auction while an application is being processed or a denial is being challenged. These are not people storing excess possessions — for many, their storage unit holds everything they own.  Shavon’s Law would create a limited, temporary prohibition on enforcing storage liens while an individual has applied for — or is appealing a decision regarding — public assistance for storage fees.

What We’re UrgingWhat We’re Urging

• Enact Shavon’s Law by amending Lien Law § 182 to prohibit auction of a storage unit while a public assistance storage fee application or appeal is pending.
• Require storage facilities to notify the relevant social services agency when an auction notice is issued
• Require social services agencies to certify within 10 days whether a payment, application, or appeal is pending
• Hold agencies financially responsible for additional storage costs caused by their failure to certify in time
• Allow occupants to provide evidence that payment, application, or appeal is pending and use existing court procedures to enforce this law if needed.

The Story Behind the LawThe Story Behind the Law

Nina Davila, an artist, Broadway dancer, and professor experiencing housing instability, stored her most precious belongings — including an urn containing the ashes of her son, Shavon Davila — in a storage unit paid for through HRA. After a year of approved payments, HRA erroneously denied her application. Before she received notice of, or had an opportunity to challenge that denial, the facility auctioned her unit. By the time pro bono lawyers from the City Bar Justice Center located the buyer, Shavon’s ashes had been discarded. In honor of her son, the City Bar proposes that this legislation be named Shavon’s Law.

Read Nina’s story and the stories of others affected →

Why It MattersWhy It Matters

A gap in the law leads to irreversible harm
Current law permits the auction of personal belongings while individuals are awaiting decisions on public assistance intended to cover those very costs. Once an auction occurs, the loss is permanent.

Due process protections are lacking
Individuals may be deprived of their property before receiving a government determination, which eliminates any meaningful opportunity to challenge the decision.

The consequences are severe
For individuals experiencing homelessness, stored belongings often include essential items, work materials, and irreplaceable personal property. The loss of these items can deepen housing instability and prolong recovery.

Fair hearings rarely uphold HRA’s decisions.
In 2025, HRA’s storage-related determinations were affirmed in just 9.4% of fair hearings — more than 90% were not upheld — and HRA withdrew its own position in 39.3% of cases before a decision was reached. Many of these New Yorkers were entitled to assistance all along, yet risk losing everything while a wrong decision is corrected. (Source: NYC Department of Social Services FOIL responses, December 16, 2025 and April 20, 2026; see the Committee Report.)

A narrow, practical solution exists
Shavon’s Law does not eliminate lien rights, waive late fees, or create new government entitlements. It creates a limited, temporary pause — no longer than necessary to resolve a pending application or appeal, and a modest burden relative to the millions in storage fees these facilities already receive through public assistance each year.

Access to justice is not equal
The only current recourse is emergency court intervention — a burden that requires expertise, time, and resources most people in a housing crisis do not have.

For the Public / AdvocatesOur Advocacy Focus

With the 2026 legislative session concluded, Shavon’s Law will be reintroduced in 2027.

Current efforts are focused on:

• Securing Assembly sponsorship
• Building support among legislators, particularly within the Judiciary Committees
• Engaging stakeholders and coalition partners
• Educating policymakers on the legal and human impact of the current statutory gap

Take ActionTake Action

Shavon’s Law will protect the property rights of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. Advocates, coalition partners, and members of the public can support the campaign by:

• Raising this issue with policymakers and stakeholders, including your elected officials
• Urging legislators to co-sponsor or support the bill
• Sharing this page and the City Bar’s advocacy materials with organizations serving people experiencing homelessness or housing instability
• Contacting the City Bar to express support or explore campaign partnership

Key DocumentsKey Documents

• Report in Support of Shavon’s Law – Legislative Report by the Social Welfare Committee (May 2026)
• Proposed Legislation Amending New York Lien Law Section 182: Shavon’s Law — Social Welfare Committee (foundational report; includes proposed bill text)
• Irreplaceable: The Case for Shavon’s Law — Advocacy one-pager
• Their Stories — Client narratives

(Additional materials will be added as the campaign develops.)

Contact: Elizabeth Kocienda | Director of Advocacy | ekocienda@nycbar.org