Advocates Applaud Governor’s Amendment to Include Civil Legal Services Funding in 2009-10 Budget

The Statewide Campaign for Civil Legal Services – made up of several dozen organizations that provide free civil legal services to the poor from around the State, including Legal Services NYC – today applauded Governor David Paterson’s amendment to include $1 million in general state appropriations to fund civil legal services in the 2009-10 budget, while cautioning that much more needs to be done to meet increased demand for legal services for those hardest hit by the current economic crisis.

 

Full press release follows:

 

 

STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN FOR CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES

 

 

FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January
20, 2009

CONTACT:

Anne
Erickson, 518-462-6831 x 103
Andrew Scherer, 646-442-3606
Steven Banks, 212-577-3277
Deborah Wright, 212-343-0708
Christopher Lamb, 212-417-3766

 

 

STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN
FOR CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES APPLAUDS GOVERNOR PATERSON FOR AMENDING BUDGET TO
INCLUDE $1 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES

 

The
Statewide Campaign for Civil Legal Services – made up of several dozen
organizations that provide free civil legal services to the poor from around
the State – today applauded Governor David Paterson’s amendment to include $1
million in general state appropriations to fund civil legal services in the 2009-10
budget, while cautioning that much more needs to be done to meet increased
demand for legal services for those hardest hit by the current economic crisis.

Supporters
of civil legal services programs statewide had appealed to the Governor to
amend his original 2009-10 budget, which did not include any general appropriation
to fund the delivery of civil legal services to the poor. The $1 million added
to the budget for legal services was part of only $1.35 million in changes made
by the Administration following the 30-day amendment process.

“While
the addition of $1 million state wide for civil legal services for the poor is
not a significant amount of money relative to the dramatically increased need
for assistance, this budget modification makes a very important statement about
the importance of civil legal services in this time of economic hardship. 
We hope this is a signal that the governor will now work with the legislature
to restore full funding for civil legal services in the coming budget.  We
recognize the severe impact of the current economic crisis on the state budget,
but this is no time to abandon New York’s all-too-modest commitment to
providing access to justice for those most in need,” said Andrew Scherer, Legal Services NYC Executive
Director and President. 

"We
appreciate the Governor's decision to restore $1 million in state-wide
funding for civil legal services, and we will continue to work with the
Governor's office and the Legislature to secure a full restoration of funding
at this crucial time in the midst of the severe economic downturn when out of
work and other low income New Yorkers need legal aid to avert evictions
and foreclosures and to secure subsistence level benefits like food stamps,
disability payments, unemployment insurance, and health care coverage,
" said Steven Banks, the Attorney-in-Chief of the Legal Aid Society in New
York City. 

"We look forward to working with the
new Senate Majority and with the Assembly Majority which has led the
way on these critical issues for years," said Anne
Erickson, president of the Empire
Justice Center,
speaking on behalf of the Legal Services Funding Alliance, a coalition of the
20 legal services organizations outside New
York City.  "We applaud the Governor's 30
day amendment and will continue to work with the administration and the
Legislature to restore state funding in the final budget to at
least $11.4 million, 75% of the $16 million in the 2007-08 budget.
 As it stands, New York
State's support for
civil legal services has fallen to one of the lowest levels in
the country."

"The
Governor's restoration of $1m for civil legal services funding is a welcome,
albeit small, reprieve for crises stricken legal services offices" said
Kenneth Rosenfeld, Director of Legal Services for Northern Manhattan
Improvement Corp. and representative of LEAP, a coalition of 10 NYC
providers.   "Even with this
restoration, New York
State remains one of the
least supportive states in the country in its per capita funding for client
services at civil justice offices. 
Without an executive branch home for legal services and the ongoing
insufficiency of funding support, New
York's working poor and poor people are having an
increasingly difficult time accessing justice and legal services lawyers to
assist them."

 

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See coverage in the January 21st New York Law Journal.