PORT JERVIS, NY — Thirty-nine-year-old Brian Negrette served in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. In 2003, Negrette was among the first deployed by President Bush to Iraq. During a combined nearly 12-years of service in America’s military forces, he completed multiple tours around the world policing quadrants of oceans with the Navy. He then went on to serve in the Army, where he handled diverse specialized assignments and duties.
Despite his years of service and that of generations of others in his family, Negrette returned home to painful struggles that have plagued him as a civilian. He attributes Covid-19 tenant regulations as having impacted his overall life in the most damaging and far-reaching of ways.
“I used my VA loan to get a house in Port Jervis, New York. Covid hit. Then tenants used ERAP (Emergency Rental Assistance Program) rules to stay longer (in the rental portion of his house), with no rent paid. Four years later, as of November 2, my house foreclosed without my even being able to evict,” Negrette said.
Negrette had been renting out part of his Port Jervis house when issues arose with the tenants. Instead of being able to evict them through pre-pandemic channels, it was Negrette who was ordered to leave the house. He is currently renting a room on a farm in Jeffersonville.
“I worked to evict my tenants three months before the Covid moratorium, but my court date was four days after Covid hit. They haven’t paid rent since October of 2019, and my case stalled because of ERAP provisions,” Negrette said.
Negrette complied and rented a room in Port Jervis. However, with no rent coming in he could not keep up with his bills. He blames the court system and laws that protect non-paying tenants with creating his current situation.
“They refused to do anything until I lost everything; my house, custody of my son, my dog, car, and truck. All finances go toward my son’s lawyer. That’s my battle coming home,” Negrette said.
Negrette found himself homeless, as he also was for a time after his military discharge.
At that time, he had broken his right leg, had no home, and sought new direction for his life.
“I drove with a cast to various veteran shelters. I would sleep in veteran parks, but would be thrown out. I went to New York City to get back on with my life; go to college, get a job and a wife. That obviously didn’t work out, so I moved away to have my peace of mind,” Negrette said.
Before losing his Port Jervis house, Negrette had 50/50 shared custody of his son. His current circumstances, and what he views as court favoring of his son’s mother, have removed this arrangement.
“Losing my home was the nail in the coffin, and now all of my money is spent on lawyer fees,” he said.
Negrette’s life seems always to have been a tough one. While he recalls having what he needed growing up, he lived in a town where boys became men fast.
