Legal Services NYC Launches Citywide Survey to Understand Legal Needs of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers
New survey seeks community input as LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers face rising threats
to housing, healthcare, economic security, and civil rights
New York, NY – Roughly one in five LGBTQIA+ people nationwide lives in poverty, facing disproportionate barriers to housing, healthcare, employment, and safety. To better understand—and respond to—those challenges in New York City, Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) today launched a new citywide survey of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.
The anonymous 10-minute survey, launched during Pride Month in partnership with CAI Global, will gather information about legal challenges, discrimination, barriers to services, and unmet needs facing low-income LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers. The findings will inform future legal services, community education, policy advocacy, and impact litigation, and will be published in a forthcoming public report. Participants who complete the survey may enter a random drawing to win one of 100 $25 gift cards.
“In a moment when LGBTQIA+ communities are facing growing legal and political challenges, this survey will help ensure that resources, services, and advocacy efforts are driven by community voices and focused where they can have the greatest impact,” said Sonja Shield, Senior Staff Attorney in the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project in our Bronx office. “By listening directly to LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers, we can strengthen services in underserved communities, identify emerging threats to LGBTQIA+ rights and wellbeing, and develop advocacy strategies grounded in the lived experiences of the people we serve.”
“This is about turning lived experience into action,” Shield added. “The stronger the response, the stronger the case we can make for expanding services, securing resources, and protecting LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.”
“Data is one of the most powerful tools communities have to identify needs, improve access to services, and strengthen evidence-based solutions,” said Dr. Jennifer Lee, Senior Public Health Advisor at CAI Global. “We are proud to partner on this survey, which comes at an important time for understanding the civil legal needs of low-income New Yorkers, including LGBTQIA+ residents. The findings will help identify unmet legal needs and inform services and supports that are accessible, evidence-based, and responsive to real-world experiences. This data will help guide direct legal representation, community education, and program planning designed to address individual legal challenges and improve access to justice.”
The survey seeks input on challenges related to housing, employment, healthcare, public benefits, immigration, family law, identity documents, safety, discrimination, and access to legal services. It also examines the experiences of particularly vulnerable community members, including immigrants, people with disabilities, veterans, people living with HIV, and others facing multiple forms of marginalization.
The effort builds on LSNYC’s landmark 2016 LGBTQIA+ legal needs assessment, which found that more than 60 percent of respondents struggled to meet basic needs and that many faced discrimination, harassment, and violence that compounded their legal problems.
Legal Services NYC has a long history of serving LGBTQIA+ and HIV-impacted communities, including establishing one of the nation’s first HIV/AIDS legal units in 1989. Today, LSNYC operates LGBTQIA+ Rights and HIV Advocacy programs in all five boroughs and serves thousands of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers every year.
A Call to Community Partners
LSNYC is encouraging community organizations, advocates, service providers, faith leaders, educators, healthcare providers, and allies to help distribute the survey throughout New York City.
“The people most affected by these issues are not always connected to legal services,” said Sonja Shield. “We need community partners to help us reach LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers wherever they are. Whether you’re a grassroots organization, a social service provider, or simply someone who cares about LGBTQIA+ justice, sharing this survey is a meaningful way to help shape the future of legal advocacy in our city.”
- Learn how you can SHARE OUR SURVEY here.
LSNYC staff will be distributing the survey at Pride events throughout the summer and are asking organizations and community members to share the survey, flyer, and social media toolkit with their networks.
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About Legal Services NYC
Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For more than 50 years, LSNYC has helped New Yorkers secure housing, income, healthcare, education, family stability, and other essentials while challenging the systemic inequities that drive poverty. With neighborhood-based offices in every borough, LSNYC is the nation’s largest provider of free civil legal services. www.legalservicesnyc.org
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