LawNY® is a non-for-profit legal services organization committed to delivering high quality civil legal services to economically disadvantaged people throughout a fourteen-county region in western New York.  Like many not-for-profit legal services providers, the demand for our services far exceeds our capacity to meet this vulnerable population’s wide range of civil legal needs.  Since 2004, AmeriCorps paralegals, through the Access to Justice Project, have been instrumental in helping LawNY® meet that need.  Currently, there are twenty-four AmeriCorps paralegals volunteering in the seven regional offices of LawNY®.  While the AmeriCorps paralegals work with clients on a variety of civil legal issues, they have specifically taken the lead on helping those at risk of homelessness preserve or transition into stable housing

The AmeriCorps paralegals take on a significant role as advocates and direct client case handlers.  They are responsible for managing their own client caseloads, advocating for clients with local social services agencies, and representing clients in administrative hearings to preserve or access resources such as public assistance or unemployment insurance benefits.  On a daily basis, the AmeriCorps paralegals take on significant responsibility by negotiating with landlords and working closely with attorneys to ensure clients are well represented at court.  Once a client secures stable housing, our AmeriCorps paralegals are responsible for monitoring the client’s housing situation for a year to ensure that he or she remains in stable housing and has access to resources that contribute to that client’s overall economic security.

The phenomenal advocacy efforts of our AmeriCorps paralegals helped LawNY® provide legal assistance to 5,324 homeless or at-risk people in 2010. One of our AmeriCorps paralegals helped a domestic violence survivor preserve her Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher.  This client contacted us after her public housing authority (PHA) terminated her from the Section 8 Program after her teenage child was arrested for violating an order of protection by engaging in violence against her.   The PHA asserted that the client’s child had engaged in criminal activity that threatened the safety of the household members and other tenants in the complex, grounds for termination from the program.  One of our AmeriCorps paralegals researched the issue and determined that the client, as a survivor of domestic violence, should be protected from termination and eviction under the Violence against Women Act (VAWA).  The AmeriCorps paralegal brought this issue to the attention of the PHA, but the PHA stood by its initial determination.  Prior to an informal hearing, the AmeriCorps paralegal drafted a letter of argument to the PHA’s attorney, citing the legal authority for the client's position, including VAWA.  Upon receiving the letter, the PHA withdrew its termination notice, and reinstated the client's Section 8 Voucher.

This case illustrates the incredible impact that our AmeriCorps paralegals are making on the day to day lives of economically disadvantaged people within our community.  As a group, our AmeriCorps paralegals exemplify the best in national and community service and are deserving of the Service Impact Award.