Housing Court Answers

What Housing Court Answers does

Housing Court Answers is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 that educates tenants, small landlords, and housing advocates about Housing Court procedure and housing law. Originally formed as the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court by advocates staffing card tables in Bronx and Brooklyn Housing Court lobbies, the organization rebranded in 2017 and now operates free services across all five NYC boroughs, anchored by a Monday–Friday hotline (212-962-4795) and staffed information tables inside Housing Court lobbies in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens (Staten Island currently closed).

The organization's service stack combines human-delivered and digital channels: live workshops (in-person and Zoom), in-court information tables, an annual conference hosted at Fordham University School of Law, a content-rich website with tenant/landlord/advocate portals, a YouTube channel of recorded trainings, an email newsletter, and the Roxanne AI chatbot — a domain-specialized assistant that helps tenants navigate HP actions, repair procedures, and related housing topics in English and Spanish. A multilingual staff of approximately 20+ includes borough coordinators, a hotline supervisor, an NYCHA coordinator, and a navigator program coordinator.

HCA's revenue model is entirely donation-based (501(c)(3) charitable contributions via PayPal and likely foundation grants), with no fees charged to users and no B2B contracts. The Board of Directors is composed of representatives from major NYC social services and legal aid organizations — including Goddard-Riverside Community Center, The Door, Legal Aid Society, Mobilization for Justice, NYC Commission on Human Rights, Project Hospitality, Seaman's Society for Children and Families, Bronx Works, and University Settlement — embedding HCA inside the institutional housing-justice ecosystem.

Name

Housing Court Answers

Legal name

Housing Court Answers, Inc.

Website

https://housingcourtanswers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Housing Court Answers is a New York City 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1981, that provides free housing law education and procedural guidance to unrepresented tenants, small landlords, and advocates in NYC Housing Court through a hotline, in-court information tables, workshops, multilingual digital content, and the Roxanne AI chatbot.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: Housing Court Answers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations for funding. The website includes a PayPal donation option and mentions donors as supporters. No fees are charged for any services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Housing Court Answers provides free legal information and procedural guidance to unrepresented tenants, small landlords, and housing advocates navigating NYC Housing Court. The organization delivers this through a telephone hotline, in-person information tables inside court lobbies across four NYC boroughs, monthly virtual Zoom workshops, downloadable information sheets, multilingual web resources, and an AI chatbot (Roxanne) specialized in NYC housing repair issues. All services are offered at no cost to users.

Product overview

Housing Court Answers is a non-profit organization that provides free legal information and assistance to unrepresented litigants in NYC Housing Court. The organization operates a comprehensive information platform consisting of multiple integrated services: the main website with portals for tenants, landlords, and advocates; Roxanne AI Assistant for automated housing repair guidance; a telephone hotline; in-person information tables at Housing Court locations; and live Zoom workshops for tenants and advocates. The core offering is free educational content about Housing Court procedures, eviction prevention, and tenant rights, delivered through both digital (AI chatbot, web portal, video recordings) and in-person channels (courtroom tables, workshops).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roxanne: AI Assistant for NYC Housing Repairs - an artificial intelligence chatbot to help tenants navigate getting repairs in NYC.

Products and services

• Housing Court Hotline

Quantifiable outcome

• Connects tenants to free legal help and eviction prevention resources
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Legal Aid Society: The primary NYC provider of free civil legal services to low-income residents, including Housing Court representation. Direct peer given overlapping mission to serve unrepresented tenants in NYC Housing Court.
• Urban Justice Center: NYC nonprofit providing legal and advocacy services across multiple issue areas including housing. Comparable given Housing Court expertise and community-based service model.
• Legal Services NYC: Largest provider of free civil legal services in NYC, with significant housing court practice. Directly comparable in serving low-income NYC tenants facing eviction and repair issues.
• New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG): NYC nonprofit providing free civil legal services including extensive housing court representation. Direct peer in mission and target population, particularly for low-income and immigrant tenants.
• City Bar Justice Center: NYC pro bono legal services arm of the NYC Bar Association, with housing-related programming including pro se assistance and clinics. Comparable in supporting unrepresented litigants in NYC.
• MetCouncil on Housing: NYC tenant advocacy organization providing housing law information, tenant hotline, and workshops. Highly comparable given parallel hotline/workshop model and tenant-rights education focus.
• Goddard-Riverside Community Center: NYC social services organization with housing counseling and tenant support programs. HCA's board president is affiliated; comparable in providing housing-related community support.
• Mobilization for Justice: NYC nonprofit providing free legal services, advocacy, and community education on housing, consumer, and family law. Highly comparable given Housing Court focus and overlap with HCA's board and client base.

Emerging players

• LawHelp.org (Pro Bono Net): National online directory and resource hub connecting low-income users with free legal aid and self-help information. Comparable as a digital front door for housing law self-help content.
• JustFix.nyc: NYC-based housing justice nonprofit using tech tools to help tenants document repairs, fight eviction, and navigate court. Comparable in serving NYC tenants with housing issues, though more product/tech-forward.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRZHZce4IauqMqczGbKE-cA
• Xx.com/hcanswers
• Facebookfacebook.com/hcanswers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housing-court-answers-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Housing Court Answers