New York City Council members urge city to increase legal services funding – JURIST
A majority of New York City Council members on Monday sent a letters to Mayor Eric Adams urging him to drastically increase funding for legal aid services in the city. 26 of the 51 councilors signed the letter requesting $195 million as a “first step in addressing the economic crisis facing these critical programs.”The letter, authored by Councilperson Shaun Abreu, a former tenant rights attorney, referenced several issues facing legal services in the city. He called for increased homicide representation. violet crime in the city, while steadily decreasing, is still experiencing a major increase since 2019. He also called for expanded legal housing assistance. Evictions and other housing issues have grown dramatically since the expiration of COVID-19 housing protections. Legal aid attorneys have been forced to turn down 10,000 housing…