Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation

Transcription

1 Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation Overview of Achievements, NMIC Legal Services major achievements for the year include legal assistance to 13,057 clients in a large range of substantive areas as well as work on 24 impact cases and projects. IOLA s consistent funding was essential to the continuation of service as economic contraction and budget cuts forced NMIC to find ways to avoid financial crises and still provide quality legal services to an increasing population of needy clients. NMIC continued its efforts to combat the pressures of displacement and gentrification in the neighborhoods that it serves. By advocating in virtually all cases where clients are threatened with eviction essentially all NMIC remained housed and out of City shelters. NMIC attorneys litigated objections and an appeal of a proposed class action settlement against one the city s worst landlords which would eliminate rent overcharge and other claims of approximately 20,000 tenant class members. NMIC s litigation efforts remained focused on community based housing court representations; family court and immigration representation for domestic violence victims; benefits; public health; consumer and disability advocacy. In all areas NMIC attorneys won significant victories. NMIC saved NYS taxpayers over $41 million in avoided homeless shelter costs by preventing tenants from becoming homelessness. $3 million in back awards and settlements was obtained for our clients including rent overcharge and abatement claims for tenant group clients. The collaboration of NMIC s Community Organizing Department and the Legal Services Department has been especially effective in protecting building wide tenant groups and gaining significant rent overcharge and rent abatement awards. NMIC was successful in accomplishing the goals set forth in the grant awarded. NMIC was able to provide significant and improved legal services to area residents including the introduction of our Immigration Project and Mental Health Law Project. NMIC s court based office continued to serve 100's of clients in emergency eviction crises. The quality of service remained equal to or higher than previous Continued on last page Bronx New York Ki ngs Queens This Provider At a Glance Population Served: General Low Income Population Area Served: New York City Metropolitan Area Total Funding: $2,822,265 Total IOLA Grant: $630,000 Staffing - Full Time Equivalents Total Staff: Lawyers: Paralegals: 6.40 Other Staff: 5.97 Types of Services Provided Direct Civil Legal Representation Brief Services Extended Services Hotlines and Other Phone-Based Services Technology and Other Innovations Community Legal Education Pro Se Assistance Collaborations With Other Service Providers Major Cases or Other Advocacy Projects Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation - 1

2 Outcomes 28,829 Individuals Benefited from 13,057 Closed Direct Civil Legal Cases Extended Representation Outcomes 7,311 People prevented eviction from private housing 2,305 People obtained, preserved, or increased public assistance, TANF, or other welfare benefit/right 1,619 People obtained repairs, improved housing conditions, or otherwise enforced rights to decent, habitable housing 1,107 People obtained, preserved, or increased Medicaid benefits/rights/services 6,041 People obtained benefits from other "extended representation" Brief Representation Benefits 6,832 People benefited from legal advice and counsel 3,317 People benefited from non-litigation advocacy services 297 People benefited by referral to other sources of help Dollar Benefits Achieved for Clients - Total $4,824,873 Social Security, SSI Benefits: $390,000 Other Federal Benefits: $1,058,083 Family Law - Child Support: $871,680 Affirmative Judgments: $677,000 Other Benefits: $1,828,110 Total includes back awards and total monthly benefits, estimated over 6 months (unemployment compensation), 12 months (other federal benefits, equitable distribution of assets, affirmative judgments and other benefits), 60 months (Social Security, SSI) or 120 months (child and spousal support). Examples... Outcomes for Clients s. B met her abuser in the Dominican Republic M when she was 13 years old and he was 18. He came to the US under his parents auspices and she was left pregnant at age 13 in the DR. She was smuggled into the US to live with his family and had her baby at age 14. For the next 6 years she was the domestic servant of her abuser s family, subjected to ongoing psychological, verbal and sexual abuse. Despite these horrific conditions and treatment, she was able to graduate high school while taking care of her child. Soon after graduation she left with her son and got a job. In response, her batterer sought to reconcile and married her. The abuse then intensified until he was arrested for a violent attack on her approximately 2 ½ years ago. She then became a client of NMIC s Domestic Violence Project which provides both social services and legal services to victims of intimate partner abuse. She was assisted through the entire criminal case by NMIC and an application to DHS for a grant of VAWA immigration status was filed. Having not yet received the VAWA application determination, NMIC filed one of the first newly enacted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) applications for Ms. B in June She ultimately received her VAWA approval last month (prior to the deferred action application was acted upon). Ms. B is now employed and lives with her son with no current threats of abuse. She is one of the NMIC DV Project s most successful clients. Her situation is testament to the combined potential of NMIC s interdisciplinary approach to assistance to DV victims, as well as her own strength of character. Examples continued on last page Breakdown of Cases by Legal Problem Area People Cases Total 28,829 13,057 Housing 18,338 8,225 Income Maintenance 4,527 1,969 Consumer 1, Individual Rights 1, Other 2,629 1,183 Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation - 2 Housing 63% Income Maintenance 15% Consumer 7% Individual Rights 6% Other 9%

3 Other Services Hotlines and Other Telephone Based Legal Services Community Legal Education: NMIC engages in extensive community legal education through workshops, outreach, and one-on-one individual client work. For example, NMIC s Community Organizing Department educates tenants on housing law in their work helping to establish and support tenant associations. NMIC staff also educates tenants and parents about legal issues related to childhood lead paint poisoning. NMIC s Domestic Violence Program engages in extensive community education regarding the legal rights of battered women and domestic violence survivors. Finally, NMIC staff provides community education and consultation to local residents who use its Child Care Resource Center as well as to its 105 family day care network members. The child care law issues implicate regulatory matters as well as public benefits and landlord/tenant questions. Clearinghouse and Referral: NMIC s Court Office functions as a clearinghouse and source of referrals for hundreds of indigent tenants in Manhattan s Housing Court. Immigration Application Service: NMIC provides free Citizenship, Permanent Residence and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) application assistance. This service is crucial in the Washington Heights and Bronx neighborhoods that NMIC serves, as these areas have the City s highest levels of immigrant population, NMIC also provides this assistance with partner organizations in Chinatown. Earned income Tax Credit Preparation: NMIC houses a free income tax preparation program staffed by accountants and preparers from Food Bank who provide free tax preparation for anyone eligible for the earned income tax credit. Consumer Counseling and Credit Reports: NMIC provides space for the Neighborhood Trust, a local municipal credit union, to provide NMIC clients with consumer credit counseling and credit reports. Referrals from CWCD for consumer debt advocacy are made directly to NMIC Legal. Technology and Other Innovations NMIC makes full use of information technologies to operate a modern and efficient legal services program. NMIC has expanded its use of current technology services to include Facebook, Twitter and the NMIC Now! service. These social networks and services have been used to expand awareness of NMIC services and legal issues addressed by NMIC staff. This is has been especially effective in the area of Domestic Violence. Following a complete review and upgrade of its data base system NMIC commenced an overhaul of its data base system so that all clients could be tracked effectively; departments could easily accomplish reports and an overview of the benefits that NMIC s work could be easily studied. This major overhaul known as Client Track was first implemented in the Legal Department and it has now expanded to other departments. NMIC has a full time data systems manager to facilitate the implementation of this new system and is continuing to bring each NMIC department on line. Legal Services Other Than Direct Legal Representation Court-Based Referral and Clearinghouse: NMIC operates an office on-site at the Manhattan Housing Court. The NMIC staff is available to Housing Court judges, court personnel, and tenants during court hours to provide emergency advocacy and/or referral to other legal services providers. NMIC s Housing Court-based office also serves as a clearinghouse for other housing advocates regarding legal or programmatic developments. NMIC has one full time paralegal and one full time attorney at this office with the assistance of IOLA funding. Community Education Through Tenant Organizing: NMIC legal staff works closely Number of People Benefited by Legal Services Other Than Direct Legal Representation Total: 8,850 People Community Legal Education: 7,055 People Pro Se Assistance: 1,795 People Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation - 3

4 Other Services, continued with NMIC community organizers, who help establish and support tenant and block associations. These efforts frequently focus on correcting housing conditions, illegal rents and overcharges and, when necessary, wresting control from delinquent landlords. Community education of tenants legal rights is central to these efforts. Recent court rulings have indicated that hundreds of tenants throughout northern Manhattan have significant overcharge claims, but need education and guidance, if not actual representation, in collecting on these claims. Domestic Violence Legal and Social Services Outreach: NMIC seeks to disseminate the availability of Domestic Violence services throughout the community. By establishing a program of visitation to local beauty parlors and setting up an information table at the local outdoor market, NMIC has made a concerted effort to inform the local community of the availability of DV services. These efforts have been hugely successful in getting the word out not just to potential clients but to friends, neighbors and family members of domestic violence victims who can then encourage these women to seek help. NMIC s collaboration with local law enforcement and the District Attorney s office on intimate partner abuse allows for immediately referrals for assistance and support from and to those agencies. Collaborations With Other Service Providers NMIC is a founding member of LEAP a coalition of ten NYC legal services providers, who have joined together to collaborate on all issues effecting our programs and clients. LEAP members: CAMBA Legal Services; Goddard Riverside Community Center, SRO Law Project; Housing Conservation Coordinators; Lenox Hill Neighborhood House; Make the Road New York; MFY Legal Services; New York Lawyers in the Public interest; NMIC; The Bronx Defenders; and, Urban Justice Center meet on a regular basis, plan both substantive and administrative responses to events in the legal services community both city and state-wide; coordinate services; and, make referrals as needed to each others programs. LEAP sponsors training events for the staff of its membership groups in trial practice, substantive areas and ethics. We also plan bi-annual public conferences to address significant issues for our clients and to bring together important stakeholders in the legal services arena such as members of the judiciary, legislative leaders and other legal services providers. NMIC is a founding member of the Legal Services for the Working Poor coalition that includes four other NYC providers: CAMBA Legal Services; Housing Conservation Coordinators; MFY Legal Services; and, Urban Justice Center. Through this coalition the group has worked together to increase civil legal services to those people who, although employed, still live in poverty and are unable to make ends meet. The group regularly meets to co-ordinate efforts, services and client referrals. The same coalition provides consumer debt legal services in a coordinated effort supported by and IOLA AOJ grant administered through CAMBA Legal Services. NMIC and MFY share a Manhattan Legal Services for Seniors grant from the NYC Department for the Aging, as well as a Housing Court DFTA assigned counsel for seniors contract. In disability impact litigation, NMIC frequently Sources of Funding Total $2,822,265 IOLA Grant $630,000 City and County Funding $918,042 State Funding $893,671 Foundations $123,044 Other $257,509 Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation - 4 Foundations 4% State Funding 32% Other 9% IOLA Grant 22% City and County Funding 33%

5 Other Services, continued serves as co-counsel with the Center for Disability Advocacy Rights, Cardozo Bet Tzedek Legal Services and some of the city s biggest private law firms. Starting last year, the UJC and NMIC commenced a joint representation, with NMIC as lead counsel, of disadvantaged tenant class members in a proposed RICO class action settlement. That case is now before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. NMIC regularly participates in citywide legal services task forces in the housing, domestic violence, immigration, elder law, public benefits and consumer debt fields. One of NMIC s most important sources for community direction and input is the Unión Communal de Washington Heights-Inwood/ Washington Heights-Inwood Community Union. La Unión is a grass roots community association consisting of 2,800 members from neighborhood tenant associations, block associations and unaffiliated individuals. La Unión was assisted in its formation in 1990 by the NMIC Community Organizing Department and currently receives technical support and assistance from NMIC. At each year s annual assembly the membership decides upon an annual work plan and priorities. NMIC community organizers work closely with the Board of Directors of La Unión to not just assist them in implementation of the plan, but also to report back to NMIC s Board and Senior Staff the community priorities chosen by La Unión s membership. This input from La Unión is essential to the program priorities and planning for NMIC s own services. A large and significant portion of La Unión s concerns revolve around affordable and safe housing, particularly in rent regulated apartments where the vast majority of community members reside. The organization has consistently pointed to the lack of sufficient funding for free civil legal services as its single biggest concern for its membership. These priorities inform the focus of the NMIC s Legal Department s efforts which concentrate to a great extent on housing and benefits issues. Many of La Unión s members are or have been NMIC legal clients and have experienced firsthand the value of community based legal assistance as individual clients, and/or as members of tenant associations represented by NMIC attorneys. NMIC helps direct the Washington Heights / Inwood Coalition Against Domestic Violence. To this end, NMIC works with other area service providers and clergy to coordinate services in a more effective and efficient manner to victims and survivors of domestic violence. Local communitybased organizations with which NMIC works closely include Alianza Dominicana, Project Dove, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, and Dominican Women s Development Corporation. Backup or Support Services Expert Legal Consultation: NMIC s attorneys are called upon to provide expert legal consultation on a wide variety of public interest law matters, including landlord/tenant, domestic violence and immigration issues, disability, consumer debt and environmental health problems including lead paint poisoning, mold and asthma issues. On occasion, NMIC attorneys will agree to serve as co-counsel in particular on behalf of pro bono attorneys who need NMIC s legal expertise. Training for Attorneys and Advocates: NMIC attorneys participate extensively in statewide and citywide trainings for attorneys and advocates. NMIC s family law/immigration expert has given a number of trainings and provides support on the intersection of domestic violence issues and immigration status. NMIC s consumer debt attorney participated in the numerous trainings on current consumer debt issues and consumer debt litigation. Other senior attorneys have provided trial training and substantive issue trainings to other legal services attorneys. Major Cases or Other Advocacy Projects HAAV 575 v. Polanco NMIC previously settled a rent strike in Housing Court involving approximately 20 households with rent overcharge and repair issues, with a rent abatement of 1 year for all tenants (value approximately $250,000), and repairs. During the past year, NMIC settled further proceedings for contempt penalties against landlord for failing to make all repairs for another abatement of 2 months (approximately $40,000). Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation - 5

6 Other Services, continued Pro Bono Volunteer Involvement NMIC primarily uses pro bono attorney involvement in joint litigation collaborations on major impact cases. NMIC s class actions and Federal appeals to the 2nd Circuit are generally collaborative efforts with some of the City s larger firms. When impact cases require large scale discovery and litigation planning pro bono firm contributions are invaluable. In the past year NMIC received the pro bono help from the following: Harold F. McGuire, of Yanwitt & McGuire, LLP, of an experienced class action litigator, joined with NMIC and UJC attorneys in our efforts to influence the settlement of the Charron v. Pinnacle matter, a federal civil RICO matter now on appeal to the 2nd Circuit; the law firm of Kramer Levin Nafatalis & Frankel, LLP co-counseled with NMIC on the Gil v. Astrue matter now before the Sothern District of New York; and, NMIC and Stroock Stroock & Levan, LLP have been co-counseling the Pujols v. Environmental Control Board case in New York Supreme Court. Law student and law graduate interns/volunteers are used extensively at NMIC. They are supervised by senior or supervising attorneys. NMIC has a student practice/law graduate practice order. Other volunteers are supervised by Pro Bono Statistics During , the following volunteers provided services in our program: Attorneys: 6 Volunteers 622 Hours Law Students: 12 Volunteers 1,770 Hours Dollar Value of Attorney Services*: $0.16 million *estimated at $250 per hour paralegal supervisors who report to the supervising attorney. NMIC has had a long history of placements of pro bono summer associates from the City s most prestigious law firms. Columbia Law School students are currently serving volunteer part-time internships through the Columbia Tenant Assistance Project. Outcomes for Clients continued from page 2 M s. S is a currently unemployed mother of an autistic minor child. About two months after giving birth to a new baby, she was evicted from her apartment for non-payment of rent. She was placed in the shelter system and felt little hope of getting her apartment back for her family. This was an especially challenging situation because the client's autistic child received therapy Snapshot of Accomplishments continued from page 1 years with housing, public benefits, domestic violence coupled with immigration issues and consumer debt services getting the most litigation activity and demand from clients. Group tenant representations remained significantly successful. NMIC s continued collaboration with other legal services providers was enhanced with continued participation in the Legal Services for the Working Poor Coalition, joint trainings and at home and could not receive it elsewhere. NMIC attorneys represented her in housing court, reversed the judgment of eviction and won her restoration to the apartment. At the time a senior paralegal advocated with the Department of Social Services and was able to obtain $3,600 in rent arrears payments satisfying any outstanding debt for rent owed. Leap, a coalition of New York City legal services providers. Notably, the representation of objectors in the Charron v. Pinnacle federal class action was accomplished by collaboration among NMIC, the Urban Justice Center and a pro bono class litigator. NMIC was the lead law firm in this effort but the three attorney firms have been successful in this unusual effort. Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation - 6