07/15/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/16/2024 12:38
Having work requirements for safety net benefits fails to recognize that not everyone can work, and that the circumstances that lead to people needing benefits at all are an issue of systemic inequities, not personal responsibility.
Now, as New York City reinstates work requirement rules to obtain public benefits like cash assistance, the bureaucratic issues already plaguing our systems will only add another barrier to access and exacerbate the caseload backlog. With HRA already struggling to distribute these subsistence benefits, this rule will keep more people from accessing vital benefits when they most need them, as NYLAG's Abby Biberman explained for Gothamist:
"Abby Biberman, associate director of the public benefits unit at the New York Legal Assistance Group, said the new rules will only worsen the ongoing bureaucratic problems at an agency responsible for dispensing vital emergency assistance.
"'This is going to lead to people losing their benefits and struggling to get them back, and that will potentially lead to people being evicted and facing other food and housing instability,' Biberman said."
Read the full piece by David Brand in Gothamistfrom July 15, 2024.
In a recent interview with DocumentedNY, Allison Cutler, supervising attorney in NYLAG's Immigrant Protection Unit overseeing the Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP), provided insight into the pressing issue of the lack of representation and legal challenges confronting our new neighbors. In response to this need, NYLAG and partner organizations created Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP).
Deborah Berkman, Project Director of the Shelter Advocacy Initiative at NYLAG, recently spoke with CityLimits regarding the city's implementation of stricter rules for immigrant shelter reapplications, making it increasingly difficult for adult immigrants without children to gain any sense of stability.
Graham Horn, Staff Attorney in the Shelter Advocacy Initiative and the Public Assistance and SNAP Project at NYLAG testified in support of four bills, which would encourage the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign vital reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, an expanded Child Tax Credit, and a renewed Farm Bill with increased funding for life-saving food aid - all of which could contribute to improving health outcomes for our clients.
On Wednesday, May 22nd adult immigrants may be evicted from city shelters after reaching a limit of 30 or 60 days, further disrupting their lives and causing more trauma, potentially forcing them to sleep on the streets. NYLAG's Deborah Berkman talked about the ongoing negative impact of this policy with Gothamist.
In a recent interview with The Hechinger Report, Jessica Ranucci, a supervising attorney for NYLAG's Special Litigation unit, discussed how the closure of Wells College and all abrupt closures disrupt students' education, making it significantly harder for them to earn a degree.
Valerie Bogart, Of Counsel for NYLAG's Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program (EFLRP), spoke with Spectrum NY1 about how the proposed legislation to increase transparency in Medicaid spending in New York is a crucial first step in holding the state Health Department accountable and ensuring New Yorkers remain in their homes.