Speaker Carl E. Heastie New York State Assembly
Legislative Office Building, Room 932 Albany, NY 12248
Dear Speaker Heastie,
We write to urge inclusion of the following budget request in New York’s final fiscal plan for FY 2021-22, which reflects the shared unmet legal assistance needs of our collective districts.
As you know, Upstate New York’s four major cities, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, have had a number of issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. One important community resource that has been on the frontline, assisting our constituents and communities navigate these difficult times has been the civil legal service providers. They offer critical intervention, guidance, and legal counsel to prevent an economic or medical hardship from becoming long-term systemic poverty.
Moreover, the research has illustrated that investing in civil legal services saves New York State money. For every $1 the State invests into these vital programs, $10 in economic benefit is generated through decreased court, social services, and other system costs. Investment in civil legal services programs also assists people to stay in their homes, saves taxpayers money, and helps to stimulate the NYS economy. However, prior to the pandemic, the Office of Court Administration (OCA) estimated that 63 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income New Yorkers were unmet. Sadly, the demand for civil legal services has only grown over the past year. Therefore, it is imperative we act to support the increased need for these critical legal services in Upstate communities.
We respectfully request the final budget agreement includes $6 million in funding for not-for-profit legal aid service providers, as proposed in the Senate one house Aid to Localities budget bill (see attached language). While each of the Upstate metropolitan areas are different, the communal needs are apparent and similar: housing, domestic violence, access to food, childcare, and healthcare, among others.
This $6 million in funding would be dedicated to these important programs in Upstate New York:
Capital Region – $1.5 million to the Family Stabilization Project for Northeastern New York. Funding for this program will help meet an overwhelming need for direct legal services in the Albany area, which sees the largest demand for services regarding housing, family, domestic violence, and income/benefit denials.
Syracuse – $1.5 million to the Family Stabilization and Well-Being Project of Central New York. Funding this program will help stabilize working families in Central New York through legal assistance to help low-income individuals in the Syracuse area retain housing, unemployment, food benefits, childcare, and Medicaid benefits.
Rochester – $1.5 million to the Tenant Defense Project of Greater Rochester in New York. Funding for this program will provide direct services to tenants and impact litigation and advocacy support. The Project provides services for tenants as well as provides expertise in the fields of public benefits, family, consumer, elder, health, and immigration law.
Buffalo – $1.5 million to support the Economic Stabilization Program for WNY Families. Funding for this program will help families address problems with financial well-being advocacy (unemployment benefits, bankruptcy, and child support), reentry services (family stability and employability), and immigration status assistance.
We thank you in advance for your support for civil legal assistance programs in Upstate New York. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Very truly yours,
Patricia Fahy, 109th District
John McDonald, 108th District
cc: Blake Washington, Secretary, NYS Assembly Ways & Means Committee
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Senate Majority Leader Carl E. Heastie, NYS Assembly Speaker
The following Majority Members join us in this request:
Karen McMahon, 146th District Monica Wallace, 143rd District
Harry Bronson, 138th District William Magnarelli, 129th District
Sarah Clark, 136th District Phil Steck, 110th District
Demond Meeks, 137th District Jennifer Lunsford, 135th District
Carrie Woerner, 113th District Jonathan Rivera, 149th District
Albert Stirpe, 127th District Pamela Hutner, 128th District
At the City Mission of Schenectady, Executive Director Mike Saccocio has a saying: “Volunteers are not the icing on the cake, they are the cake.”
So the state’s announcement that nonprofit workers and volunteers will now be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday is “very good news.”
“Before the pandemic, we were averaging 700 hours a week for volunteers,” Saccocio said. “That had to literally stop. It’s been a real struggle.”
When the vaccination expansion starts, all so-called “public-facing” employees will be eligible for the vaccination. In addition to nonprofit workers, government and public employees will also be eligible. So too will building workers such as custodians, security officers and porters. They join the list of people 60 and older as well as those with comorbidities.
“The economic impact is going to continue beyond people getting ill,” added Deanne Grimaldi, spokeswoman for the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY.
Pandemic-battered New Yorkers owe $1.14 billion in unpaid gas and electric bills, suggesting that the statewide moratorium on cut-offs will likely have to continue for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and attendant job losses mean the state will likely have to adjust how it assists low-income New Yorkers with keeping their heat and lights on going forward.
“The depth of financial distress currently affecting more than a million residential energy consumers and uncounted numbers of water and telecommunications consumers is a strong argument that the moratorium must continue and that all stakeholders must arrive at a solution to provide some form of rate relief,” said Richard Berkley, executive director of the Public Utility Law Project of New York.
Berkley and others participated Tuesday in a web-based workshop from the state Public Service Department regarding rate relief for consumers in need.
That need has hit a new peak in recent memory. The $1.14 billion in arrears, that is unpaid utility charges that are more than 60 days old, is the highest on recent record, dating to 2005, according to Public Utility Law Project data.
LASNNY would like to welcome Rebecca Thomas as the Human Resources Manager for our entire organization.
Rebecca is directly responsible for the overall administration, coordination and evaluation of all Human Resource functions including supporting initiatives, systems, and best practices to recruit, develop, and train a diverse and high-performing workforce here at LASNNY. Rebecca is excited about building an organizational culture that supports advancement of Legal Aid’s mission and strategic plan.
Rebecca comes to us with her professional certification in Human Resources Management from the University of Minnesota’s prestigious Carlson School of Management. She also has her bachelor’s degree in General Studies from the University of Connecticut and did her master’s work in Deaf Education at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining us at LASNNY, Rebecca spent many years in her professional career in the field of Human Resources and operations management making sure employees felt confident and successful in their respective positions.
It’s been a little over two years since 1,100 former St. Clare’s health care workers learned they were no longer receiving their pensions.
The legal battle continues, after a lawsuit has been filed against the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, the St. Clare’s Corporation, and two local bishops.
Attorney General, Letitia James, is also launching a separate investigation. But now, a joint motion has been filed between the lawyers working on behalf of the pensioners and the Attorney General’s Office to compel the defendants to produce documents and information.
“This means we have the option to work with the Attorney General’s Office, to sit down and get the documents and talk to people,” explained Victoria Esposito, Advocacy Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York. “So we are going to get to do depositions, which is basically talking to people under oath. We are still discussing how that is going to work and how many people, but this where the process allows us to get information we haven’t been able to get up ‘til now.”
Esposito said they are hoping to learn through these documents as to why certain decisions were made by the St. Clare’s Corporation, and the involvement the diocese had.
Suppertime Solutions Forum NY Connects No Wrong Door partners in Clinton County presents: “Suppertime Solutions; an Introduction to Services in Clinton County to Help Solve the Food Insecurity Crisis” on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.
The forum will be held virtually on Zoom.
“It’s a multi-agency collaboration with the New York Connects program,” Darleen Collins, director of the Clinton County Office for the Aging, said.
“The goal was to highlight safe, nutritious affordable food for all. It’s really a way to let people know what programs and services are available in our county.
“We know food insecurity is a big issue for people, and we want to make sure that people are aware of what is available to help.”
The forum presenters include the Senior Citizens Council of Clinton County, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, JCEO, Clinton County Health Department and the Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Had to pay more than 30% of your income towards rent during the month(s) for which you are applying for assistance, between April 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE. APPLY ONLINE HERE BY FEBRUARY 1, 2021.
IF YOU PREVIOUSLY APPLIED BUT WERE TURNED DOWN, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY. Your previous application will be reopened and reviewed. Public housing or Section 8 Tenants are not eligible.
Call LASNNY at the Legal Line number (833-628-0087) for assistance
Contact HCR’s COVID Rent Relief Extension Program Call Center for assistance at 1-833-499-0318 or [email protected]. Call Center representatives are available Monday through Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm.
FAQ Sheet from NYS Homes & Community Renewal about the NYS COVID Rent Relief Extension Program – CLICK HERE
The Amsterdam Office of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York has been approved for one law student fellowship through the Equal Justice Works Rural Summer Legal Corps.
The Rural Summer Legal Corps program will operate between May-August 2021. Regardless of when they begin, accepted participants must complete the required 300 hours of service by September 1, 2021.
Participants will receive a $5,000 stipend for their service. Students have the option to apply for unlimited outside funding through their university or other sources.
Tenant rights laws, eviction moratorium cause confusion in housing sector:
Victoria Esposito, advocacy director for the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, said details of the latest eviction moratorium came out during the holidays, forcing courts and law enforcement to quickly get up to speed on the protections and regulations.
“It’s taken a bit for some of the courts to grapple with the eviction moratorium,” she said. “It took a little bit for everyone to get on the same page, but so far as I know, all the courts in our service area are observing the laws. But again, that is something we really want to keep an eye on.”
