The city is targeting unlawful evictions as temperatures get colder.

The Mayor's Public Engagement Unit held a canvassing event Tuesday to make tenants aware of their rights in the face of illegal lockouts.

“An illegal lockout is usually a harassment technique that is used when a landlord actually blocks access to the unit, so they may change the locks on someone,” said Harriet Lambert, a tenant support specialist in the unit.

Traewon Young told NY1 that he has been helping out a friend who is being evicted from his apartment.

“He’s from Canada,” Young said. “He’s going to pay me back.”

Aside from giving his friend money, Young wasn’t sure how to help until he ran into members of the Tenant Protection Cabinet, which is part of the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit.

At the community canvas in East New York Tuesday, Young received information about tenant rights, including who to call for help.

“He’s getting state assistance but because he was late on the rent, his landlord is trying to kick him out,” Young said.

East New York in Brooklyn is one of 37 high-risk zip codes the unit has been targeting since August, providing information about apartment leases, late rent and housing court.

“So often we’ll often just be standing out on a street corner and like we just saw, encounter someone who’s facing eviction or knows someone who’s facing eviction,” said Adrienne Lever, the executive director of the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit. “It’s evidence that this issue is far too prevalent.”

With the coldest season of the year here, the city is targeting areas known for illegal lockouts.

“I grew up in East New York,” said Rhea McGhie, a tenant support lead who was leading the group of canvassers in East New York Tuesday. “I’ve seen it. I’ve been through it. I know what it’s like to go through things.”

Aside from eviction prevention, Mayor Eric Adams and his administration say their new Tenant Protection Cabinet can also help with repairs, landlord harassment and free legal help.

This is information Young intends to pass along to his friend, who he said was in eviction court just hours earlier Tuesday.

“He went to court today just to pay the thousand I gave him. He want to court today,” Young said.

The Adams administration says they have responded to nearly 90,000 helpline queries since they launched last year, and referred more than 20,000 of those inquiries to legal service providers.

The mayor’s office says the Tenant Protection Cabinet can help all New Yorkers facing housing insecurity, regardless of immigration status, and can offer help in multiple languages.