Courts boosts funding for civil legal service providers
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The Queens Volunteer Lawyer Project, led by Mark Welicky, was among the providers to receive funding.
Eagle file photo by David Brand
Chief Judge Janet Difiore announced the latest round of funding from the Judiciary’s Civil Legal Services for New York for organizations providing legal assistance for low income clients this week.
Over a five year period, $85 million will be distributed among 81 civil legal services providers across the state through the JCLS cycle starting in January.
“I am extremely pleased that JCLS funding will continue to support the most vulnerable New Yorkers in attaining meaningful access to the courts and the legal assistance they need to secure the essentials of life, especially during these very difficult times,” DiFiore said. “I am thankful to our partners in the executive and legislative branches of State government for their unwavering support of the Judiciary Civil Legal Services Program.”
Funding for the JCLS Program is allocated based on the proportion of a county’s population living at or below 200 percent of the poverty threshold to ensure the communities most in need receive bolstered service.
Recipients who work in Queens include the Legal Aid Society, which received $9,800,000, and Make the Road NY, which received $673,523.
The Queens Volunteer Lawyers Project, which provides legal advice on civil matters, received $350,000. The funding will help maintain current staff levels, according to Executive Director Mark Weliky.
“We are very thankful to receive this grant award,” Weliky said. “This grant will help us to continue to provide this vital service to the low-income community of Queens County.”
“Our emphasis will continue to be on assisting with homeowners facing foreclosure, unrepresented defendants being sued for alleged credit card debts, tenants facing eviction and various other civil law matters,” he added.
Though QVLP’s in-person Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office Clinics at Queens Civil Court — which offer assistance in managing consumer debt — have been suspended due to pandemic restrictions, the funding will support remote operations.
Other recipients include New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, which received $426,877; Safe Horizon, which received $595,833 and Urban Justice Center, which received $1,814,260
An additional $15 million has been allocated to the New York State Interest on Lawyer Account fund, which connects civil legal service organizations affected by federal budget cuts with additional grants.
The Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Mendelson, the Chair of the NYS Permanent Commission on Access to Justice Helaine M. Barnett and the Board of Trustees of the IOLA Fund determine grant awardees.
