Now that the state’s eviction moratorium has expired, tenant rights groups are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to enact and fully fund a statewide “right to counsel” for tenants.

Ritti Singh, communications coordinator for Rochester’s City-Wide Tenant Union, told Capital Tonight that there are 3,000 eviction cases in the city, which is growing by 50 to 60 each day.

Singh adds that the majority of cases include women of color with children.

In criminal cases, a defendant has a right to an attorney and can receive a public defender if they can’t afford counsel. That isn’t the case in civil procedures like evictions. Advocates like Singh are pushing Gov. Hochul to allocate “significantly more” than the $35 million proposed in her budget to expand counsel availability to all tenants facing eviction regardless of income status.

New York City has already enacted a right to counsel for tenants: In the city program, low-income tenants can qualify for the program. A study from the ACLU found that 86% of tenants that had counsel were able to stay in their homes.

Rochester has a pilot counsel program open to any tenant facing eviction.

Among other proposals that the tenant advocates are pushing for is the Good Cause Eviction bill. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter (D-Syracuse).