TESTIMONY
Jesenia Ponce on Funding Legal Services for the Working Poor in New York City
5:28:14
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113 sec
Jesenia Ponce, Coordinating Attorney at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, advocates for increased funding for legal services for the working poor.
- Ponce highlights the importance of flexible funding in providing wraparound services, including housing, immigration, education, and benefits.
- The funding allows for services to those who might not qualify for low-income services but are at risk of poverty.
- The testimony includes a request to increase each coalition member's funding to $600,000 to better serve working poor New Yorkers.
- Ponce emphasizes the coalition’s role in addressing multiple issues for clients who often face more than one challenge.
Jesenia Ponce
5:28:14
Good afternoon.
5:28:15
Committee chair Alaya and council members.
5:28:17
My name is Jacenia Ponce.
5:28:19
I am the coordinating attorney for and advocacy at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, also known as NEMIC or NMIC.
5:28:27
We are a multi service agency offering legal and social services, addressing housing, immigration, education, and benefits.
5:28:35
We are 1 of 5 members of the legal services for the working poor coalition.
5:28:39
That also includes Campbell legal services, mobilization for justice, housing conservation coordinators and take legal justice.
5:28:47
We have many points written in our testimony, but I will summarize here are 2 key points that reflect the importance of funding legal services for the working poor, also known as LSW paid.
5:28:59
One is the wide range of services we are able to provide due to the flexibility in funding as my colleagues in this room and many know that Not one client walks through our doors with a single issue.
5:29:11
We are able to provide wraparound services with LSWP that include immigration benefits, and other areas of civil practice.
5:29:21
2nd, LSWP funding opens doors for services that the working poor may not otherwise be eligible for.
5:29:27
As you know, working people with earned income do not qualify for many low income services, but nonetheless are one paycheck away from becoming homeless.
5:29:37
LSWP allows us to offer assistance to keep working poor communities stable.
5:29:42
For these reasons and the reasons listed in our testimony, It is crucial that the council not only continues support for this flexible funding stream, but we ask respectfully that the Council increased funding to 600,000 for each coalition member so that legal service organizations are able to meet the needs of their clients by providing a diverse array of civil civil legal services for working poor New Yorkers.
5:30:06
Thank you.
