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Q&A
Reasons for implementing the new contract model
2:56:29
·
3 min
MOIA officials explain the primary reasons for changing to the new contract model for legal services. The new model aims to improve accessibility and effectiveness of services for immigrant communities.
- Establish legal centers within immigrant communities for better access
- Provide culturally and linguistically sensitive services
- Encourage providers to build connections with public institutions like schools and libraries
- Create a hyper-local focus with brick-and-mortar locations in the five boroughs
- Implement a legal technical mentorship component for capacity building
- Respond to changing needs and support different ethnic enclaves
Alexa Avilés
2:56:29
In terms of the What were some of it?
2:56:35
And I know we've discussed this before, but certainly as a new contract will take hold, can you remind us for the record what some of the primary reasons for changing into this new contract model was?
Manuel Castro
2:56:53
Partly is to establish legal centers or providers within immigrant communities so that residents can access these services in their own neighborhoods through providers that are most, I think, adequately established in these communities to provide culturally and linguistically sensitive services.
Jasniya Sanchez
2:57:34
Yeah, I'd briefly add to that.
2:57:39
It's also to ensure that these new providers, right, are also encouraged, right, to, and we will be working with them to build those connections and relationships with other public institutions within their neighborhoods like schools, libraries as well to be able to grow their network.
2:58:09
I'll let Lorena also add a bit more.
Lorena Lucero
2:58:11
Yeah, and I'll add that aside from the language excuse me the legal support centers, there's also a legal technical mentorship component to it which was meant to very intentionally create a way to find support for legal services for very niche matters to some of these smaller nonprofits, but I just want to emphasize what the commissioner said.
2:58:36
I think the idea here was to create a very hyper local focus where legal service providers had brick and mortars that that folks would go to immigrant New Yorkers would go to within the five boroughs.
Alexa Avilés
2:58:53
So are you saying under the last contract that that did not exist?
2:58:59
I'm I'm not I'm still trying to understand what the differences are besides more providers.
Lorena Lucero
2:59:06
I'll I'll I'll let the commissioner expand, but I think the idea here is that to create more.
2:59:13
More touch points really in ways that individuals from different neighborhoods could come and provide services.
2:59:21
I'll also say that needs have changed.
2:59:23
So the types of legal service providers who were needed to provide and respond to some of these changes was super important.
2:59:31
In addition to that, the idea really again to that mentorship program is capacity building.
2:59:36
Like you mentioned sort of jokingly but truthfully, the idea is to create more legal service providers that can support different ethnic enclaves.
2:59:50
And sort of the idea here is to build the capacity within within some of those new legal support centers that might have that capacity to do so.
Alexa Avilés
3:00:02
Yeah.
3:00:03
I'd love I'd love to definitely hear more about the the technical assistance component, but certainly the needs once % have changed.
3:00:12
At least people need full representation.
3:00:15
They don't need just a light pro se anymore.
3:00:18
And you know with the changes in the federal policies that existing cases are now much more complex.