LSNYC Statement on the NYC’s Independent Budget Office Analysis of NYC’s Right to Counsel Program

New York, NY – This week, the New York City Independent Budget Office released new analysis on the effectiveness of NYC’s Right to Counsel (RTC) program, finding that funding for this landmark program has failed to keep pace with the growing demand, leaving thousands of low-income New Yorkers without the legal representation they need to fight evictions and stay in their homes.  

Below is a statement from Rosalind Black, Director of Citywide Housing at Legal Services NYC which helps over 50,000 tenants fight eviction each year through the RTC program:  

“This analysis confirms what frontline legal service providers have been ringing alarm bells about for years — NYC is simply not funding the Right to Counsel program adequately enough to ensure that eligible tenants receive the free legal help they need to stop evictions and keep a roof over their heads.  

“Right to Counsel was designed to ensure that no New Yorker would have to stand alone against the threat of eviction. But as this report makes clear, the vast expansion of RTC program coupled with an increase in eviction filings, the tripling of tenants eligible, and a gross underfunding of the program, have left struggling tenants facing eviction alone. This is unacceptable and avoidable.  

“The report also highlights the challenging funding environment faced by the legal service providers whose current city funding does not cover the full cost of handling these cases, especially as cases are taking far longer to resolve and the City has taken away providers’ ability to report cases that span multiple years.  
 
“These sad yet startling findings should be a wakeup call to NYC to fully fund the RTC program so that tenants can fully access the protections this law was meant to guarantee. Amid a growing housing crisis and soaring rents, NYC cannot afford to only partially fund RTC which has proven time and again to keep New Yorkers safely housed.” 

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Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC fights every day to ensure New Yorkers and their families have access to the services, resources, and protections they need to survive. http://www.legalservicesnyc.org/