Welcome to the August edition of our newsletter, Policy Matters. This month, we share an announcement about new state funding to preserve legal services for unaccompanied minors after a federal contract expires, the Governor’s response to growing concerns about funding to support crime victims, highlights from recent town halls on childhood poverty, a top trade association award for our sector and more.
Governor Hochul Promises Funding to Continue Funding Representation for Immigrant Children Facing Deportation
You may recall in our March and April 2025 issues of Policy Matters, we shared the loss of funding affecting children facing deportation. Thousands of immigrant children across New York were at risk of being left without legal representation after the federal government ended a contract providing legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children in New York, putting approximately 1,400 children, including about 700 in upstate New York, at risk of losing the attorneys who help them navigate a complex immigration system after arriving in the United States without a parent or legal guardian. When the contract expired, Empire Justice Center’s advocates were representing 125 children. “It’s heartbreaking knowing that so many children will be cut loose to fend for themselves in a legal process that was designed to be navigated with a trained attorney,” said Empire Justice Center President & CEO, Kristin Brown. “So many of the children we work with are dealing with complex trauma and they need an attorney who not only knows the law, but also knows how to communicate information in a way that is understandable and does not cause harm or confusion.”
The Times Union spoke with Kristin Brown about what the end of the contract could mean for immigrant children across New York and the regional impacts.
After the Governor’s announcement, the Times Union followed up to speak with Kristin to hear her thoughts. “I am deeply relieved to know that our staff can stay focused on doing what they do best – fighting for the rights of our clients,” Brown said. “This is a big win for us in New York.”
We thank Governor Hochul for her swift action to provide children in need of legal counsel with the support they need. This generous funding will help the nearly 1,400 vulnerable children either facing removal or currently detained, who would otherwise face the legal system without help.
You can find further coverage on this issue:
Services to Support Victims of Crime Face Funding Cuts
Many programs that support crime victims in New York are seeing their funding cut or eliminated due to a recent procurement for services to support and advocate for victims of crime, child abuse, intimate partner violence, sexual violence and family by the Office of Victims Services (OVS), which administers the federal Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) funding. As a victim assistance provider, Empire Justice Center is one of the organizations impacted. Funding for our Crime Victims Legal Network program, which has provided statewide legal information, advice and referrals for crime victims, as well as legal advocate training and support since 2015, was not renewed.
Last week, to seek a solution to the loss of services, our President and CEO, Kristin Brown, on behalf of the New York Legal Services Coalition joined the Directors of the other three membership organizations representing crime victim services providers, in sending a letter to Governor Hochul requesting that she provide additional funds to cover cuts in programs and services and work with us to craft a more strategic and sustainable way to fund crime victim services in NY in the future.
We are thrilled to report that our efforts have been successful — Governor Hochul announced an additional $36 million in funding for crime victim services. We are grateful that the work we do under the Crime Victims Legal Network will continue to be funded; however, it will be at a significantly lower amount than requested and less than 50% of current funding. We plan to continue our advocacy for additional funding to cover the full cost of the program as it exists.
Just this morning, Kristin joined a press conference with the Coalitions that sent the letter, along with and member organizations, to thank the Governor for stepping in to stem what were devastating cuts to important services and express our enthusiasm about working together to fix the structural problems with the way the funding is administered.
More information is available:
Funding cuts ‘devastating’ N.Y. victim assistance programs
Rape crisis programs brace for drop in state funding
Victim services funding cuts will hurt New Yorkers who most need help
Funding cuts ‘devastating’ N.Y. victim assistance programs
Hochul restores $36M to victim programs after pleas from rape centers – NBC New York
Resources Available to Students Facing Discrimination
No student should have to face bullying, harassment, or discrimination alone. A recent Newsday’s article reports that Long Island schools recorded 1,906 verified bullying, harassment, and discrimination incidents during the 2024-25 school year. However, advocates note that the true number may be much higher as many students and families never report what they’re experiencing. If you believe a K-12 student has experienced discrimination at school, our School Discrimination Helpline can help you understand rights and available options under New York law. Visit our website to learn more about the helpline and resources available to students and families.
Tax Advocacy Program client, Tyara Smith testifies alongside Tax Advocacy Managing Attorney, Barbara Heggie, at the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council Town Hall in Rochester, NY
Town Halls on Child Poverty
Empire Justice Center was proud to stand beside numerous community members and organizations at the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) town hall on childhood poverty hosted by the Office for Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and The Children’s Agenda on August 4 in Rochester and August 18 in Albany, hosted by OTDA and Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.
Barbara Heggie, Tax Advocacy Managing Attorney, testified alongside her client, Tyara Smith, at the Town Hall in Rochester. Barbara spoke about the necessity of legal representation for low-income people who face Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and New York State tax controversies alone when thousands of dollars may be at stake. Ms. Smith spoke about her experiences with the Tax Advocacy Program at Empire Justice Center. She had been unable to claim three of her four children on her 2021 tax return because of a house fire that had destroyed all her family’s documents, including tax records and the older children’s birth certificates and Social Security cards. The Creating Savings, Assets, and Hope (CASH) program referred her to the Tax Advocacy Program, which then prepared an amended tax return for her, responded to numerous challenges from the IRS, and finally shepherded the tax filing to the proper result: a refund of over $7,300. Ms. Smith testified that she was able to use this money as a downpayment on a house for herself and her four children. Yversha Roman, Director of CASH and Strategic Partnerships, Amanda Gallipeau, Policy and Communications Manager, and Kelly McBride, Supervising Senior Marketing Manager, were also in attendance at the town hall session. If you live in Monroe County and are interested in our free tax preparation services offered through CASH, you can find more information on our website.
In Albany, Public Benefits Managing Attorney, Susan Antos, testified about the harm caused by sanctions for those who receive public benefits. We recently shared information about sanctions, as well as our support for the conciliation bill in our May 2026 issue of Policy Matters. The conciliation bill (S.4417 May/A.6448 Hunter) would correct an injustice for those who receive public benefits living outside of New York City. Such recipients are subject to more stringent and harmful sanctions than recipients in NYC and this bill would ensure that all New Yorkers are treated equally. These sanctions do not save the state money, and often lead an increase in childhood poverty and homelessness. The conciliation bill was included as a recommendation of the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council. It passed Assembly this past session, and look forward to seeing it move again next year.
Both the Rochester and Albany town hall meetings are available online.
Additional coverage is available:
New York addresses child poverty during hearing in Rochester
Albany hearing explores ways to fight rising child poverty costs
How can NY reduce child poverty? Panel turns to public for ideas | WXXI News
Expanding Resources for New Yorkers
Empire Justice Center is excited to share that the New York State LGBT Health & Human Services Network (“The Network”), has expanded! Empire Justice Center is a proud member of The Network, a coalition of over 60 LGBTQ+ organizations located across New York State. While services and support for LGBTQIA+ folks across the country are shrinking and being defunded, we are expanding our reach and shared capacity. Providers across the state will be more interconnected, ensuring high-quality care is available for the LGBTQIA+ communities we serve across the state. Visit The LGBTQ Resource Explorer site, which includes an interactive member and services map, and get connected with our newest members and all the community organizations that make New York State safe and affirming. The Network is proudly administered by The NYC LGBT Community Center. To learn more about the Network and the organization that helps make this guide and all of our work possible, check out the comprehensive website for more information.
Number of Unhoused New Yorkers Continues to Grow Outside of New York City
Homelessness in several regions of New York State has risen, according to a recent report from the state Comptroller. The report explains that, while homelessness has seen a decrease over the past year, in regions across the state it continued to rise. Comptroller DiNapoli has called for efforts to reduce evictions and additional assistance to avoid homelessness, particularly in households with children. In New York, children make up over 31% of the unhoused population, despite efforts to reduce poverty and increase housing assistance. A key way to do this is to increase the state’s shelter allowance. As reported in July’s issue of Policy Matters, the state shelter allowance has not been increased since 2003 for households with children, and 1998 for those households without children. Empire Justice Center, along with The Legal Aid Society, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, and Hughes Hubbard has filed suit against the Office for Temporary and Disability Assistance to challenge the state public assistance shelter allowance schedule, in an effort to reduce homelessness for New Yorkers. The press release regarding this lawsuit is available on our website. Stay tuned for further developments in this landmark case!
Empire Justice Center President & CEO and Board President of the New York Legal Services Coalition, Kristin Brown
Recognition in Leadership
We’re so proud to see our President & CEO and Board President of the New York Legal Services Coalition, Kristin Brown, for being recognized on City and State NY‘s 2026 Top Trade Associations list!
This recognition celebrates Kristin’s leadership and her work to strengthen New York’s nonprofit sector. Together with New York Legal Services Coalition Board and Membership, Kristin has helped bring attention to the challenges nonprofits face when state contracts and payments are delayed, building momentum for change.
The two Contracting bills (S.9761 Mayer / A.10741 Paulin) (S.9855 Mayer / A.11179 Paulin) we have been pushing for passed both houses of the legislature this session and wait for Governor Hochul’s signature to become law. As a reminder, these bills seek to fix cash flow issues for nonprofits by improving the speed of reimbursement and addressing advance payment issues. Nonprofit and legal services organizations provide vital services that are undermined by delays and inconsistencies in state processes are putting nonprofits at risk of collapse. You can also read the New York Legal Services Coalition statement. We continue to accept signatures on our sign on letter.
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