SBLS Launches Citywide Identity Theft Coalition

November 18, 2011, Brooklyn, NY— South Brooklyn Legal Services (“SBLS,” a
program of Legal Services NYC) has launched the New York City Identity
Theft Coalition (NYCITC), the first local initiative that responds to
the growing problem of identity theft in the New York City. SBLS will
leverage its longstanding experience addressing consumer and employment
law issues, as well as its established network of legal and
community-based organizations, to focus on identity theft issues.

NYCITC will build a network of diverse service providers to coordinate and improve access to information and services for low-income victims of identity theft. NYCITC will focus on the areas of identity theft most commonly reported by low-income New Yorkers, including employment, tax, consumer debt, domestic violence, and public benefits issues.

This initiative is made possible by a grant from the Identity Theft Victims Assistance Network Project, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime. The Project seeks to expand and improve the outreach and capacity of victim service programs to better address the rights and needs of victims of identity theft nationwide.

“We look forward to creating a network of providers focused on helping low-income New Yorkers resolve the legal, financial and myriad of other problems caused by identity theft,” said SBLS Staff Attorney Rachel Bash. Current NYCITC partners include the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice, the Legal Aid Society, and the Neighborhood Economic Advocacy Project (NEDAP). Organizations interested in learning more about NYCITC are encouraged to contact SBLS for details on membership and upcoming trainings and events.

South Brooklyn Legal Services is a not-for-profit law firm that provides a broad range of legal services, including individual advocacy and broad based litigation, to low-income people in Brooklyn. SBLS works in various practice areas that impact low-income communities such as housing, foreclosure, workers’ rights, government benefits, HIV rights, family law, and consumer law. SBLS is a program of Legal Services NYC. Learn more at www.sbls.org.

This press release was produced by South Brooklyn Legal Services under Subaward funding awarded by the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center under Cooperative Agreement No. 2010-VF-GX-K014, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this press release are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or of MCVRC.

Contact: 

• Tanya White,
  Staff Attorney, 718-246-3272,  [email protected]
• Rachel Bash, Staff Attorney, 718-246-3267, [email protected]

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