TESTIMONY
Adrian Holder, Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice at the Legal Aid Society, on Their Integrated Approach to Housing Justice
4:18:40
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3 min
Adrian Holder discusses the Legal Aid Society's comprehensive approach to housing justice, emphasizing on foreclosure prevention, homeless rights, and the impact of their advocacy.
- Holder highlights the Legal Aid Society's role in assisting low-income New Yorkers through various units focused on housing justice, foreclosure prevention, and homeless rights.
- The housing justice helpline and legal assistance programs are underscored for their role in advising on housing matters and overcoming barriers like income discrimination.
- Holder mentions key achievements, including the passage of laws against income discrimination and the creation of state-administered programs for family homelessness and eviction prevention, credited to the Legal Aid Society's advocacy.
- The testimony calls for enhanced city council support for discretionary funding and right to counsel initiatives to sustain and expand services for low-income New Yorkers.
- Holder expresses gratitude for past city council support and expects continued partnership in addressing the housing affordability and shelter crises.
Adrian Holder
4:18:40
Good afternoon.
4:18:42
Adrian Holder, chief attorney of the civil practice for the legal aid society, I wanna first thank you deputy speaker and so many folks on this committee for holding this hearing and also being very engaged and active supporters of what is most dire and what's most needed right now for Low Income New Yorkers as a stability and subsistence benefits.
4:19:05
Or in their housing.
4:19:08
You will receive our written testimony.
4:19:09
We have it here today.
4:19:10
It didn't be submitted that outlines all the restorations and issues around discretionary funding.
4:19:15
But what I wanted to talk to you today just about was just how we central our housing justice work.
4:19:21
And shelter work exemplifies our integrated and multipronged approach to addressing the civil, legal challenges at low income New Yorkers face.
4:19:29
Our housing justice foreclosure prevention and homeless rights units are on the ground and have helped hundreds of thousands of people remain in their homes or find a path to stable extremely affordable housing.
4:19:39
Our housing justice helpline advises callers and crisis and provides advice on a wide range of housing matters, including rental assistance eligibility.
4:19:47
And for those who obtain rental systems vouchers, we we provide rights, education, and legal assistance ensure that they use that assistance as intended and overcome any remaining barriers to housing such as source of income discrimination, which we were able to pass with the health of this council.
4:20:06
Importantly, the legal aid society was instrumental in the creation of state administered, family homelessness, and eviction prevention supplement, theft, and city theft, through our Jigitsby Grinker litigation.
4:20:17
In addition, we collaborated with housing justice advocates to maximize our collective reach and mobilize community members.
4:20:24
In turn, we leverage this deep knowledge, and the needs and challenges of our client community is our policy advocacy.
4:20:30
The landmark reforms of the city, federal assistance program that the city council passed last year are just one example of the positive impact that our strong partnership creates for low income New Yorkers.
4:20:42
This important expansion has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of many of our clients, including tenants whose income fall and the gap between 50% of the median income and 200% of the federal poverty line.
4:20:53
This advocacy, along with representing, you heard previously our our client, the coalition for the home was in working on subsistence benefits issues with Nylon could not be done without the support.
4:21:04
Of so much of the funding we receive, and particularly the pot that is described here as discretionary, which is legal services for low income New Yorkers, a pot that we are in with a number of other providers that we're asking for an increase this year.
4:21:18
Again, you'll see all the other discretionary requests that are in our written testimony, but it is essential for us in the moment that we are here.
4:21:28
It experiencing the crisis of shelter as well as the affordability crisis with housing that we are able to maintain our our the support that we received from the city council.
4:21:42
And to echo what Ron is saying, we definitely need the council to continue to stay with the city and making sure that the right to counsel funding is enhanced so that we can actually afford to sustain that program.
4:21:56
And we look forward to, you know, more support from you all as we move forward.
4:22:01
Thank you.
