New York Legal Assistance Group - NYLAG

does not discriminate, but LGBTQ survivors still face doubt and biases around their experiences from those meant to help, which reinforces barriers for LGBTQ survivors to access justice and other services. It’s on all of us as advocates to know the difference between myth and fact, and to ensure that LGBTQ survivors get the validation, support, and services every survivor deserves.

MONDAY, JUNE 24 🗓️ Join NYLAG Financial Counselors for a FREE interactive workshop designed to empower you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the credit repair process.

EL LUNES, 24 DE JUNIO🗓️ Acompañe a los consejeros financieros de NYLAG en este taller interactivo GRATUITO, diseñado para empoderarlo con el conocimiento y las herramientas que necesita en el proceso de reparación de crédito.

Register at this link/regístrese a través del enlace: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=JpuUerRbYUuXzrGS5nTWaQcEVcpe-apOt-8gyTlSe_VUMUZLRUxHUjdPSkZBRVVLQkg5NkM2UU9QRy4u

Juneteenth is both a celebration of hope and liberation, and also an important reminder of our country’s foundations in injustice and dehumanization. So much of the injustice we see every day in our work has roots in the same anti-Black racism that led to the abhorrent legacy of slavery, and the subsequent resounding inequities persist across our institutions. As we commemorate Juneteenth, we simultaneously celebrate liberation and recognize that the fight for racial justice, inextricably connected to social and economic justice, is far from over. 🖤❤️💚

NYLAG is thrilled to welcome Wenrui Chen in the fall as a Borchard Fellow in our Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program! She will lead a project to expand multilingual legal services related to Medicaid and Medicare for older Chinese American New Yorkers and their caregivers. Learn more about Wenrui and her project here: https://borchardcla.org/fellowships/current-past-fellows/item/415-wenrui-chen

Community partnerships are key to expanding access to justice, and our longstanding partnership with The New York Immigration Coalition captures exactly why: Together, we can offer resources and services in people's preferred languages, in the communities where they live, and in coordination with trusted partners to alleviate understandable hesitations in approaching organizations for services.

It shouldn't take a lawyer to access basic needs, but while we work to forge that institutional and systemic change, we're on the ground with community partners to ensure our neighbors have advocates in their corner — and we're so grateful to do it with NYIC across New York City. Read more about one of their recent events in Jackson Heights: https://jacksonheightspost.com/dozens-attend-key-to-the-city-immigrant-event-in-jackson-heights

NYLAG is thrilled to partner with Cancer and Careers for the 14th annual National Conference on Work & Cancer, taking place virtually on Friday, June 21st!

This free virtual event will delve into the complexities individuals face as they balance their cancer treatment and recovery with employment. Topics include balancing treatment and work, disclosure decisions, engaging HR, and other matters NYLAG’s LegalHealth Unit frequently encounters in advising and working with clients receiving cancer treatment.

For more details or to register, visit: www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/events/conference

NYLAG Immigrant Protection Unit Co-Director Melissa Chua joined several of our partners today for a Resettlement Symposium about building effective strategies to welcome recently arrived immigrants, including asylum seekers and those who may seek other approaches to relief. Providing immigration legal services — at the necessary capacity and with the level of expertise our complicated systems demand — is vital to coordinating a humane and effective response, especially in partnership with shelter and housing providers like we do with Win.

: NYLAG’s LGBTQ Law Unit teamed up with Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP today to hold a free clinic, assisting LGBTQ older adults in preparing their Advance Directives documents to ensure that their chosen families are recognized.

Self-determination is crucial for older adults in LGBTQ communities. By preparing Advance Directive documents, it ensures they have autonomy over their own lives, including making decisions about health care, finances, and end-of-life care.

Thank you Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP for partnering with us to reach even more people with these vital legal services.

Today, NYLAG celebrated Pride with our annual rooftop pride happy hour! Shoutout to our incredible LGBTQ Law Unit team, pictured here, for their outstanding work supporting and meeting the legal needs of LGBTQ+ communities every day! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

NYLAG’s BIPOC Employee Resource Group held a vibrant celebration today with food, drinks, and fun! This holiday does more than remind us of the painful injustices of the past — it celebrates the hard-won fight against oppression, and the beauty of Black culture.

Today and every day, we honor the resilience and liberation of Black people. ❤️💚🖤

: NYLAG’s LGBTQ Law Unit Senior Staff Attorney Adena Wayne spoke at Heat Program
workshop, teaching attendees about the process of legally changing their names and gender markers on official documentation.

Partnering with HEAT, an organization that provides healthcare and support to HIV+ and at-risk youth, puts NYLAG in direct touch with their clients, allowing us to work together in addressing their immediate legal needs and building long-term stability and well-being.

Language matters, particularly for influencing public perceptions. Our new neighbors have already experienced trauma and hardship on their journey to the US—in addition to whatever they left behind—and dehumanizing rhetoric only incites further threats to their safety and access to resources once they get here.

Check out this insightful piece from Documented clarifying the misinformation and corresponding language surrounding asylum seekers ➡️documentedny.com/2024/04/12/asylum-seekers-illegal-legal-work/?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

Interested in designing your own dream job in public interest? Inspired to design a project that responds to unmet needs in our communities? If so, consider applying for public interest fellowship with NYLAG!

NYLAG has a great track record of our candidates’ projects being funded, and with former fellows in almost every unit at NYLAG, you'll have knowledgeable support in shaping your project.

To apply, reach out via email to [email protected] to get connected with the unit you want to work with and get support in creating your project proposal. Then, apply at the link no later than 5pm EST on Wednesday, June 12th. We’ll get back to you soon, and if we pick you for an interview, you can work to further hone your project description over the upcoming weeks. We look forward to reading your project proposal!

Post-Graduate Fellowship Sponsorship - NYLAG - Career Page Apply to Post-Graduate Fellowship Sponsorship at NYLAG in New York, NY.

Shoutout to Daniela, Intake Specialist from NYLAG’s Community Access Programs Unit, and our wonderful interns from Fordham Law, Luke and Abigail for representing NYLAG and Legal Hand East Harlem at yesterday’s resource pop-up fair in partnership with the Human Services Consortium Asylum Seeker Working Group and the East Harlem Neighborhood Health Action Center! Being on the ground in the communities we serve allows us to address some common barriers to legal services, like not having the ability to travel to appointments or knowing who to ask for guidance. We’re grateful to have partnerships in East Harlem and across the city through which our team continues to provide our new neighbors with resources, information about the services NYLAG offers, and expert legal advice.

Huge congratulations to longtime NYLAG volunteer Pam Wexler for receiving UJA-Federation of New York's Time For Good award for Outstanding Volunteerism! Pam's incredible work, both in our Domestic Violence Law Unit and in stewarding volunteer opportunities more broadly through UJA's Time For Good Committee, serves as an extraordinary example of the power volunteerism can have in maximizing organizations' impact on access to justice.

We're so proud to know and work with Pam, and we thank her for all she does for our clients and all of us at NYLAG.

: NYLAG’s LGBTQ Law Unit and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP will hold a free clinic assisting low-income and NYC based LGBTQ older adults prepare their Advance Directives documents such as living wills, healthcare proxy, Power of Attorney, last will & testament. Call 212-613-5033 or [email protected] to register.

📅 Thursday, June 13th
⌚ 12PM- 5PM
📍 Manhattan, NYC 46th Street and 6th Ave

See you there!

NYLAG 📰 Despite an increase in recently arrived immigrants coming to New York City, legal service providers have seen budget cuts for programs providing representation in immigration court. Given the complexities in immigration legal proceedings, people are far less likely to achieve the outcomes they seek without an attorney, leaving our new neighbors in a vulnerable and dangerous cycle that limits their abilities to achieve stable, safe, and healthy lives.

Absent the right to counsel in immigration court, NYLAG and our partner organizations created the Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP), a community-based model centered on advising asylum seekers on their legal rights, assisting them in preparing and filing asylum applications, and empowering them to represent themselves in court.

Read more about what NYLAG Supervising Attorney Allison Cutler says about the legal needs PSPP is addressing in Documented: documentedny.com/2024/06/03/unrepresented-people-nyc-immigration-courts/

Pride is all year in the fight for justice, because in the systems and institutions that most impact our lives, a person’s identities can determine their access to safety, stability, and wellbeing.

NYLAG’s LGBTQ Law Unit responds directly to how our clients’ sexual and gender identities compound with other economic, racial, and social injustices in addressing their legal needs. Our areas of work include but are not limited to:

- Legal name and gender marker changes
- Immigration representation and protection
- Access to healthcare and benefits
- Housing justice
- Family Law
- Advance Directives and Last Will Planning

We will remain on the frontlines of the fight for justice until we live in a world where individuals of every sexual and gender identity have access to legal protection under the law, dignified work, healthcare, adequate housing, the freedom to form families, and the ability to live fulfilling lives. 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

In today’s digital age, financial scams have become increasingly sophisticated, targeting individuals and families from all walks of life. For individuals and communities already contending with the burdens of economic, racial, and social inequities, these scams can have an especially devastating impact on their financial stability. NYLAG Financial Counselor, Kamron Rustamov shared four actionable tips on how to identify and combat these scams, ensuring the protection of your hard-earned money. Learn more ➡️ nylag.org/battling-financial-fraud/

🆕 ICYMI: After 15 years, NYCHA will reopen the waitlist for its Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8, from June 3rd to June 9th.

Access to stable, affordable housing is key to all pursuits of justice and equity for our clients and communities. We’re glad to see the waitlist for this vital rental assistance program reopen as a first step towards expanding affordable housing access. As our city's housing crisis only grows more dire – particularly for those already impacted by systemic racial, social, and economic injustices – we look forward to seeing more comprehensive steps to follow.

Learn more from City Limits: citylimits.org/2024/05/22/nycha-to-reopen-section-8-waitlist-after-15-years-heres-how-to-apply/

And apply here beginning June 3rd: https://apply.section8.nycha.info/

Today, NYLAG welcomed our talented summer interns! We can’t wait for them to start diving into our work as civil legal service providers and contribute their skills and expertise in support of our clients and our broader mission to cultivate racial, economic, and social justice.

Welcome to NYLAG! 💙☀️

We are one step closer to ensuring that state agencies adhere to a timeline in executing renewal contracts with nonprofit organizations like NYLAG! This is vital legislation for nonprofits and for the clients and communities we serve in expanding access to justice. We will continue to advocate with the New York Legal Services Coalition to get this passed in both chambers and signed into law.

On this , we pause to honor the brave individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. As we pay tribute to those we’ve lost, we must also recognize the needs of veterans living in our communities today.

Nearly 20% of military service-members receive a less than honorable discharge, greatly limiting their access to crucial benefits necessary for their well-being and financial security. NYLAG’s Veterans Practice team stands at the forefront of ensuring veterans receive the benefits they’re entitled to. From navigating the complex system of resources and welfare to offering legal assistance through various clinics, NYLAG’s Veterans Practice team crusades for the rights of all veterans. Learn more from NYLAG's Veterans Practice team about their transformative work and why it's so crucial for veterans to have this support ➡️ https://nylag.org/veterans-rights/

Recent budget cuts to Medicaid are exacerbating the growing need for Medicaid and long-term care services, as NYLAG’s Valerie Bogart highlighted at Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC 29th Elder Law Forum. Her presentation underscored the detrimental domino effect of these cuts on the elder and disabled communities, particularly through CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program), a program that allows senior and disable individuals to remain safely in their homes and communities. The disruptions in care for both caregivers and care recipients are concerning, emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable solutions.

Watch her full presentation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd5b-URVmmc&list=PLcQMIiSKz9CRYGbKTtIVBbweBP3H9-YJo&t=456s

We're thrilled to welcome Annie Whitney to NYLAG as an Equal Justice Works fellow! Annie's commitment to providing both direct representation and systemic advocacy around wrongful deportation orders wholly aligns with our mission and approach, taking on the immediate needs we see in our clients' cases while also working to address the root injustices at play.

Learn more about Annie here: https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellows/annie-whitney/

What we’re reading: Considering housing is one of the biggest challenges for survivors leaving abusive relationships, we need policies that better reflect their realities and address their needs—from breaking leases to accessing shelter and other housing solutions.

Check out this insightful piece outlining how some states and cities are working to better meet survivors’ housing needs:

Survivors of domestic and sexual violence can break their leases early in some states Housing is among the biggest challenges for people leaving abusive relationships.

Congratulations to our very own Danielle Tarantolo, Director of NYLAG's Special Litigation Unit, for receiving the New York City Bar Association's Legal Services Award! Danielle's impact litigation work yields far-reaching results to combat injustices across our systems and institutions on behalf of those most vulnerable to their failures and subsequent harm. Partnering with every unit across NYLAG, Danielle and her team amplify our direct services work securing justice for hundreds, thousands, even millions of people to further NYLAG's mission cultivating racial, social, and economic justice in New York City and beyond.

More on Danielle's work here: https://nylag.org/nylags-danielle-tarantolo-receives-nycba-2024-legal-services-award/