NY Times: Migrants Protest Move From Midtown Hotel to Barracks-Style Shelter

January 30, 2023
1:57 pm

NYLAG’s Deborah Berkman, supervising attorney in our Shelter Advocacy Initiative, spoke to the New York Times about the immense barriers recent asylum-seekers face in finding housing in New York City.

“Even for people who do find some work, renting an apartment may be out of reach. Deborah Berkman, supervising attorney of the Shelter Advocacy Initiative at the New York Legal Assistance Group, has worked with over 50 migrants who arrived from the southern border. Many migrants are not eligible for government rental assistance because of their legal status, she said.

“And as New Yorkers know, renting on the open market can be difficult even for people with ample documentation of a steady income.

“‘Without money or a housing voucher, it’s too expensive to get a place to live in New York,’ she said.”

Read the full piece by Karen Zraick for the New York Times from January 30, 2023.

Share this post

NYLAG Obtains Records From NYC’s Department of Homeless Services That Show Agency Projects Lack of Shelter Capacity

March 7, 2023 No Comments

Data obtained by NYLAG through a Freedom of Information Law request shows that, for over six months, New York City’s Department of Homeless Services has projected that its shelters, especially shelters for families with children, will not have enough available beds for all of the New Yorkers who need them.

Gothamist: A Year After the Invasion, Ukrainians Are Gaining Their Footing in New York

March 6, 2023 No Comments

NYLAG’s Jodi Ziesemer spoke to Gothamist about the federal government’s programs to support Ukrainian nationals in the United States as the Russian invasion of Ukraine meets its one-year mark.

A street view of the awning for ASA College

NY Focus: For Scandal-Plagued For-Profit Colleges, No State Is More Welcoming Than New York

February 23, 2023 No Comments

NYLAG’s Jessica Ranucci was interviewed for this piece from New York Focus on New York State’s tuition subsidies for poorly-performing for-profit colleges.

NYLAG, Legal Aid, Dechert LLP, File Federal Class Action Lawsuit Against City for Failing to Process SNAP and Cash Assistance Applications and Recertifications, Forcing Thousands of Families to Face Food Instability

January 30, 2023 No Comments

New York Legal Assistance Group, The Legal Aid Society, and Dechert LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against the New York City Department of Social Services and Human Resources Administration for failing to process applications and recertification for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and cash assistance within the 30-day timeframe required by federal and state law.

Gothamist: New Yorkers Sue City Over Delays to Food Stamps

January 29, 2023 No Comments

NYLAG’s Abby Biberman was quoted in Gothamist about NYLAG’s class action lawsuit, along with the Legal Aid Society, on behalf of New Yorkers who were left without essential food and cash assistance because their applications weren’t processed in the 30 days required by federal law.

Gothamist: NYC Receives $38 Million Funding Boost for Lawyers Litigating Special Education Lawsuits

January 25, 2023 No Comments

NYLAG’s Danielle Tarantolo spoke to Gothamist about the New York City Department of Education’s efforts to get additional funding for staff to handle cases brought by families of students with disabilities. NYLAG’s class action lawsuit against the City over delays in adjudicating such cases has brought attention to DOE’s inadequate resources.