Salvation Army Taken to Court by Tenants

Tenants of two New York apartment buildings are taking the buildings’ owner, the Salvation Army, to court hoping to block their eviction while the building is put up for sale, The New York Times reports.

The case has morphed into a noisy, public battle between the nonprofit organization and the tenants of the two women-only, single-room-occupancy buildings who say the organization is unfairly forcing them out of their homes. The tenants have support from housing advocates and some city officials. They have started a blog and recently picketed the Salvation Army’s Spring Gala at the New York Hilton.

In August, Justice Milton A. Tingling of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan rejected the tenants’ claims. He ruled that the Salvation Army could legally end the leases because the buildings were operated for charitable purposes and were therefore exempt from the city’s rent-stabilization laws.

“This court finds that at the time the Salvation Army made the decision to sell the residences and ordered the tenants to evacuate the premises within six months, the primary use of the buildings was charitable,” wrote Mr. Tingling in his decision.

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