The Legal Aid Society (LAS)
199 Water Street
New York, NY 10038
212.577.3300
legal-aid.org
To Volunteer, Contact:
Email Emily Borrman at eborrman@legal-aid.org.
Storm Response and Volunteer Needs
The Legal Aid Society has targeted disaster relief services in the most affected communities in Far Rockaway, Coney Island, Red Hook, and Staten Island. Legal Aid staff members are assisting affected New Yorkers with FEMA and Disaster Unemployment Insurance claims; replacing medications and access to health care; obtaining Food Stamps and public assistance; landlord-tenant, public housing, federal Section 8 matters, and homeowner/foreclosure help; assistance with loans and other small businesses matters; school transfers and transportation issues; and family law and immigration matters.
Since the storm died down, we have assisted thousands of adults and children who have been desperately seeking our civil legal help. Before the Hurricane, because of lack of resources and increasing requests for our assistance due to the economic downturn, we could only help one out of every nine low-income families and individuals who sought our assistance. Since the storm, requests for our civil legal aid have increased exponentially and low-income New Yorkers need our legal help more than ever. We greatly appreciate the support for our services that we are receiving from concerned New Yorkers.
Training Materials
The Legal Aid Society has taken part in several trainings in the aftermath of the storm. Videos and materials are available on probono.net's Disaster Legal Services resources page.