Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A

Get to Know Daniela Adao! Daniela leads Brooklyn A’s small but mighty Domestic Violence Program. In just a short time, she’s helped the program grow to join the landscape of vital resources available to survivors in NYC and to our clients. She and her paralegal teammate help survivors secure orders of protection and child custody, and help survivors beyond the courtroom to ensure they are safe with a path toward a brighter future. Learn more about Daniela in our latest Q&A on the BKA.org website: https://lnkd.in/eu34qCpz

We're honored to announce that Brooklyn A has been selected as a 2024-2025 grantee of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation! This grant will support our critical housing defense services so more clients can maintain affordable housing. Thank you to Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for joining our work to ensure all New Yorkers have equal access to legal services!

Brooklyn A is delighted to share that we have been awarded our highest allocation ever from the Interest on Lawyers Account (IOLA) Fund of the State of New York! Our next contract is for $6.3 million over five years. This is a significant increase of our past award by IOLA, dramatically broadening the horizons for our work and helping to ensure our strength and stability for the next half-decade. Read the full statement from Executive Director Jessica Rose on our website: https://lnkd.in/ef4m_tUb

Governor Hochul's executive budget released this week includes key funding allocations for civil legal services, including money for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), Interest on Lawyer Account Fund (IOLA), Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and more. The New York Legal Services Coalition praises the proposed budget as an important first step to properly funding civil legal services in New York. "We are grateful that the Governor included funding for critical civil legal services programs in the executive budget," said Jessica Rose, Executive Director of Brooklyn A and NYLSC Steering Committee Co-Chair. "We respectfully urge both houses of the legislature to make the needed adds to the budget to enable stability and continuity of services and for both the executive and legislature to support these critical investments in the final budget." Read the full NYLSC statement here: https://lnkd.in/eSnBudB7

We're growing and looking for our next Sr. Accountant, Director of Development & Communications, Sr. Development Manager, Institutional Giving, Staff Attorneys, and many administrative positions. 100% employer paid health insurance, 27 vacation days, paid parental leave and other amazing benefits. You can see all their open positions at bka.bamboohr.com/careers.

We had a wonderful time at the LEAP Conference yesterday! Staff from each of our programs got to attend valuable workshops and connect with team members from our partner organizations. And Brooklyn A's Tricia Lendore, Director of the Preserving Affordable Housing: Brooklyn Program, co-led a session on Housing Court! Thank you to the organizers for such a pleasant, educational day.

If you haven't had a chance to read our latest op-ed in City Limits, Brooklyn A's Rukhsar Asfe and Kameal James explain the many challenges in the CityFHEPS voucher system that prevent our clients, and many other New Yorkers, from making use of these housing subsidies. "Brooklyn A clients aren’t the only ones struggling to make use of housing vouchers. A report from the New York State comptroller’s office last month concluded CityFHEPS is 'plagued with problems' that include delayed rental payments and poor documentation within the shelter system." Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/ew9Xp5_8

There's still time to support Brooklyn A this #GivingTuesday! Help us reach our goal of 100 donations and join Together for Justice on this Global Day of Giving. To those of you who have already donated: thank you! We so appreciate your generosity. Your contributions will help Brooklyn A serve New Yorkers in the new year and beyond. If you haven't had the chance yet, click here to give: https://bit.ly/00BKAGT

#GivingTuesday is here! This year, we hope you'll make a gift to Brooklyn A and support our work providing civil legal services to vulnerable New Yorkers. We help thousands of people each year maintain their housing, settle tax issues, protect their small businesses, and more. When the Brooklyn A community works Together for Justice, our impact will only continue to grow. Please consider making a gift today: https://bit.ly/00BKAGT

CityFHEPS vouchers are a valuable resource—when you can use them. Delays in the system prevent far too many New Yorkers, including our clients, from taking advantage of the city's housing voucher system. "Many Brooklyn A clients have struggled to find alternative housing despite having a CityFHEPS shopping letter, citing delays from city agencies meant to support tenants seeking housing. From what we’ve seen, it’s the product of a complex process with several pinch points that waste valuable time for voucher holders." Read our latest opinion piece from Brooklyn A's Rukhsar Asfe and Kameal James in City Limits: https://lnkd.in/ew9Xp5_8