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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Keriann Pauls, Interim Executive Director of Take Root Justice
4:59:24
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131 sec
Keriann Pauls, Interim Executive Director of Take Root Justice, testified on behalf of the Legal Services for the Working Poor (LSWP) Coalition, requesting increased funding for legal services to support working poor and low-income New Yorkers. The coalition is seeking a $600,000 allocation for each member organization in FY2026 to address growing needs in areas such as immigration, workers' rights, and economic justice.
- The LSWP Coalition, created 20 years ago with City Council support, includes five member organizations serving those just above the poverty line.
- Current funding is $455,000 per member organization, with a requested increase to $600,000 for FY2026.
- Take Root Justice reports that the majority of their LSWP clients are currently seeking immigration legal support.
Keriann Pauls
4:59:24
Good afternoon and thank you to chairs Aviles and Brannan and to the New York City Council for the long standing support of the Legal Services for the Working Poor Coalition, AKA LSWP.
4:59:35
I'm Carrie Ann Pauls and I am the interim executive director at Take Root Justice, one of the five members of this coalition which also includes CAMBA Legal Services, Housing Conservation Coordinators, Mobilization for Justice, and Nimic.
4:59:49
The LSWP coalition was created with support from the city council twenty years ago to address the civil legal needs of working poor and other low income New Yorkers whose income is just slightly higher than the poorest New Yorkers thus rendering them ineligible for free legal services from many organizations.
5:00:09
In fiscal year twenty twenty five each of the five original members received $455,000 from this initiative and in fiscal year twenty six Take Root Justice and the other members of the LSWP coalition are requesting a $600,000 allocation from the city council.
5:00:26
This enhancement would support critical legal services and allow providers to deepen their impact in the areas where we are seeing increased need including immigration, workers rights, public benefits and economic justice.
5:00:40
This is especially important in this moment as the federal government is making it even harder for the working poor to maintain financial stability and make ends meet.
5:00:50
And it is an exceptionally challenging time for immigrant communities.
5:00:54
Just speaking on behalf of Take Root Justice, I'll say that this fiscal year the majority of our LSWP clients are seeking immigration legal support.
5:01:03
So when the city invests in legal services for the working poor, we see that it's investing in strategic preventative measures to keep New Yorkers on their paths towards financial stability and proactive intervention through access to legal assistance helps protect wages, prevent homelessness, keep families in their communities, children in their schools and New Yorkers out of poverty.
5:01:25
So thank you again for your ongoing support and consideration of our request for the allocation of $600,000 for each of our LSWP coalition members.
5:01:34
Thank you.