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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tiffany Liston, Executive Director of Mobilization for Justice
4:40:24
ยท
150 sec
Tiffany Liston, Executive Director of Mobilization for Justice, testified before the Committee on General Welfare about the organization's work providing free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers and the current challenges faced by both clients and nonprofit organizations. She urged the council to allocate resources for various legal service initiatives.
- Mobilization for Justice handles approximately 14,000 cases annually across all boroughs, focusing on housing, disability and aging rights, economic justice, and children's rights.
- The organization is dealing with multiple crises, including surging homelessness, rising cost of living, and the needs of both existing residents and new immigrants.
- Liston highlighted the severe delays in contract payments and hiring obstacles faced by nonprofit organizations in New York City.
Tiffany Liston
4:40:24
Good afternoon.
4:40:26
Hello?
4:40:27
Oh, there we go.
4:40:29
Good afternoon Chair Ayala and the Committee on General Welfare and thank you for this opportunity to testify today.
4:40:35
My name is Tiffany Liston and I am the executive director of Mobilization for Justice.
4:40:40
For over sixty years Mobilization for Justice has provided free civil legal services to New Yorkers who are low income, disenfranchised, or have disabilities.
4:40:50
We also conduct community education, advocate for policy, and bring impact litigation.
4:40:56
Every year we handle approximately 14,000 cases from across the city, across every borough, in the broad areas of housing, disability and aging rights, economic justice, and children's rights.
4:41:08
Through our services, we prevent homelessness, help seniors and people with disabilities live independently, stabilize families, support immigrants and children with mental health disabilities, and address racial disparities.
4:41:21
We're speaking here today in the midst of several crises: surging homelessness, skyrocketing cost of living, marginalization of the vulnerable, and a city struggling to meet the needs of its existing residents, let alone those of our newest neighbors who come here seeking safety, stability, and opportunity.
4:41:41
And we're tackling these issues in the face of the federal administration's openly hostile who's openly hostile to our ideals of public service and the public good.
4:41:53
So the nonprofit community in New York City also is facing severe delays in contract payments which you've already heard and also hiring obstacles amidst the challenges of parity pay for public service work.
4:42:05
It has been a tough year especially for our clients.
4:42:09
No one wants to find themselves embroiled in a complex system that requires a lawyer they simply cannot afford, yet far too many do.
4:42:18
At Mobilization for Justice we seek to be their advocate and their ally and often this work is lifesaving.
4:42:24
But doing so requires resources, and I'm here today to strongly urge the council to build and budget those resources.
4:42:30
Just quickly, I'm here asking you to support the initiatives of legal services for the working poor, you'll hear my colleagues speak about, family advocacy and guardianship support, immigrant opportunity initiative, legal services for low income immigrants, low wage worker support, and the new Protect New York City Families initiative.
4:42:49
Thank you very much and we appreciate your continued support in working with you.