As a partner in the Ithaca Eviction & Displacement Defense Project, the Tenants Advocacy Program allows student volunteers to monitor and analyze housing courts.
The mission of the Ithaca Eviction and Displacement Defense (IEDD) Project is to prevent eviction and displacement, fortify available safety nets, and advance racial equity in Ithaca. IEDD aims to fulfill their mission by monitoring housing court proceedings, building a local database of eviction cases, sharing resources for tenants facing eviction, spreading awareness of tenants’ rights, and connecting tenants to legal aid and rent relief. IEDD is led by the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County (HSCTC) in partnership with Cornell Law School’s Tenants Advocacy Program (TAP), the National Lawyers’ Guild (NLG) chapter at Cornell, Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY), and the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA).
To increase transparency and accountability in housing court, our goal is to document what happens during eviction proceedings. By gathering data on case outcomes, party participation, and settlement details, we work to highlight trends and inform advocacy efforts that advance housing justice.
The Court Monitoring team is one of the only two TAP teams that bring together undergraduate and law student volunteers. Law students enrolled in the Practicum can receive credit for monitoring proceedings or voluntarily observe court as members of the National Lawyers’ Guild.
Court Monitoring Volunteers support TAP by:
Community members and partner organizations are welcome to join our court monitoring efforts. If you’d like to volunteer or observe housing court proceedings, complete the forms below.
Every court observation contributes to a growing record of how housing justice is carried out in Tompkins County. By documenting who is present in court, how cases are resolved, and the behavior of judges and attorneys, our volunteers create a detailed picture of the eviction process.
This information is then organized and analyzed by TAP’s Data Team, transforming raw observations into charts, reports, and policy briefs. These insights reveal patterns—such as disparities in representation, common causes of eviction, and outcomes across different courts—that would otherwise remain hidden.
See how hundreds of court observations turn into clear, actionable insights — powering research, community education, and legislative change.
