Housing Insecurity Prevention Assistance Programs Open

Town of Babylon's Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program opened on December 18th, 2023. This program is for extremely low-income households who are in rental arrears to help residents regain housing stability and prevent homelessness. For more information and to apply, please visit Long Island Housing Partnership's website.

Town of Babylon's Mortgage Arrears Program opened on February 27th, 2024. The Town of Brookhaven (Town) is making CDBG-CV funds available for low to moderate-income Town of Babylon residents with mortgage arrears incurred due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. Funds will cover a maximum of 6 consecutive months of arrears, subject to a cap of $50,000, and are paid directly to the lender. For more information and to apply, please visit the Long Island Housing Partnership's website.

Town of Brookhaven's Home ARP Rental Assistance Program opened on August 1, 2024. The Town of Brookhaven (the "Town") Rental Assistance Program (the "Program") provides rental assistance to foster housing stability to "Qualifying Populations". The Long Island Housing Partnership ("LIHP") is administering the Program. Funds are provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), pursuant to the American Rescue Plan. For more information and to apply, please visit the Long Island Housing Partnership's website.

Tip: After a Warrant of Eviction is entered against a tenant, a sheriff will serve a 14-day notice. If the tenant is unwilling to leave the premises, a sheriff will remove them from the property. It is very important to pay the amount due any time before this to avoid physical eviction. 

Legal Services of Long Island, in partnership with Empire Justice Center, can now assist Nassau and Suffolk residential tenants with housing-related legal problems (like eviction) and a household income of up to 80% of the Area Median Income. Services are available through this partnership regardless of immigration status. Please call the office closest to you to see if you are eligible for legal services. Interpreters are available. Suffolk residents west of 112 can call 631-232-2400 and east of 112 can call 631-369-1112. Nassau residents can call 516-292-8100. Feel free to share our flyer in both English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole

Check out our latest Know Your Rights Tenant fact sheets in

English, Spanish, and Creole.

Fact Sheets on Illegal Evictions in Suffolk County in

English, Spanish, and Creole

17-A Guardianships in New York

In New York State, when a person turns 18 years old, they are assumed to be legally able to make decisions for themselves. This means that no other person is allowed to make personal, medical, or financial decisions for them. This may present a problem if the person is intellectually or developmentally disabled and has difficulty making decisions for themselves.

If you are concerned about the well-being of an intellectually or developmentally disabled person who is 18 or over (or about to turn 18), you may want to consider asking the court to appoint an Article 17-A guardian. An Article 17-A guardian is someone who is appointed by a Surrogate Court judge to help protect the interests of an intellectually or developmentally disabled adult and make decisions for them, when they are unable to do so for themselves.

Learn more about the Suffolk County Pro Bono Project's Clinic for Advice, Counsel, and Information on 17A Guardianships for Parents/Caretakers.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Join Legal Services of Long Island's Legal Support Center for Advocates on October 30th at 1pm for "Knowledge is Power: Legal Steps After a Domestic Violence Incident." Supervising Attorney Larry Tuthill will discuss orders of protection, child custody orders, and how to be evaluated for services by the Suffolk County Domestic Violence Project. Please register for this Legal Support Center for Advocates training taking place on October 30th, 2024, from 1:00pm-2:00pm. 

Legal Services of Long Island’s Legal Support Center for Advocates presents “Know Your Rights: Contemporary Issues in Education” on Tuesday, November 12th, from 1 pm to 2 pm. LSLI Education and Disability Rights Project Attorneys will discuss steps in the special education classification process, independent educational evaluations, and the declassification procedure of a student with an IEP. Further, we will discuss the school procedure for disenrolling a student, the rules regarding school attendance in New York, and what to do when your child is being bullied in school. Please register for this training taking place on November 12th from 1 to 2 pm.

Did you miss our past LSCA presentations? Check them out today!

On October 17th, 2024, Legal Services of Long Island presented "Know Your Rights About Medical Debt." Supervising Attorney Sharon Campo provided medical debt updates and reviewed ways to prevent and combat medical debt. Slides can be accessed on our website. Please register to view this training.

On September 13th, 2024, The Legal Support Center for Advocates presented “Understanding the Importance of Advanced Care Directives". We discussed basic advanced care directives you or your clients may need while planning for their future. Also, learn how you or your clients may be eligible to attend our upcoming Advance Care Planning Clinic. Slides can be accessed on our website. Please register to view this training.

On August 28th, 2024, the Legal Support Center for Advocates presented "Empowering Your Future: Managing Student Loan Debt." Nassau Suffolk Law Services’ Legal Support Center for Advocates welcomed Nancy Nierman of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP). Ms. Nierman provided updates on the current student loan landscape including repayment options and other ways to discharge your student loans. EDCAP is a program of the Community Service Society of New York. Slides can be accessed on our website. Please register to view this training.

On March 7th, 2024, the Legal Support Center for Advocates presented "Insights Into Attaining Student Debt Relief." Nancy Nierman of the Community Service Society’s Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) provides expert guidance and essential insights on attaining student debt relief and navigating repayment. During the training, we review repayment options, with a focus on the new SAVE plan, and provide practical solutions and advice for struggling borrowers. We provided an overview of federal forgiveness and discharge options and the One-Time Payment Count Adjustment that grants additional credit toward some of those programs. Please register to view this training.

On March 5th, 2024, the Legal Support Center for Advocates presented "The Role of An Advocate." The Legal Support Center for Advocates and Director of Community Relations, Cathy Lucidi, describes basic tips on how to help clients using a holistic approach. Additionally, we discuss our new CARES Membership and the trainings we plan on offering in person and virtually in 2024. Please register to view this training.

On November 13th, 2023, the Legal Support Center for Advocates presented "The Strategic Guide to Tackling Student Debt." NSLS hosted Nancy Nierman of the Community Service Society's Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) to provide expert information on formulating a plan to eliminate your student loans. The training focused on repayment options, such as the new SAVE plan and time-limited relief, which may give you credit toward forgiveness programs. In addition, we offered tips on how to navigate the return to repayment. Don’t miss this chance to learn how to take advantage of key opportunities available to you within the federal student loan system. Please register to view this training.

Links to all of our prior trainings can be found on our website.

Did you miss any of our Programs of Legal Services of Long Island Presentations? Feel free to watch them on our YouTube Channel!

After an intake appointment is completed and eligibility is determined, clients will be invited to the advance planning clinic in December which will be conducted in person at our Islandia office. If you or your clients have any questions, please email Suffolkprobono@legalservicesli.org and include the words "Advance Planning Clinic" in the subject line.

Interested in volunteering? If you are an admitted attorney and are interested in volunteering for the clinic, please contact Sharon Campo at scampo@legalservicesli.org.

Join Legal Services of Long Island's Veterans Rights Project and other Veteran's organizations at the Suffolk County Bar Association's Free Legal Clinic for Veterans on Thursday, November 7th from 10 am to 2 pm. The clinic will be held at the Suffolk County Bar Association, 560 Wheeler Road, Hauppauge, NY 11788. Email vets@scba.org to make an appointment with a lawyer at the clinic on November 7th.

Upcoming Community Legal Help Project locations, dates, and times for Nassau and Suffolk County can be found on our website.

Did you hear our exciting news? Nassau Suffolk Law Services is now Legal Services of Long Island, highlighting our role as the region’s largest non-profit provider of free civil legal assistance, fighting for our most vulnerable neighbors in our local justice systems, and advocating where you need us most. While our name has evolved, our mission remains the same: to provide unwavering legal support.

Legal Services of Long Island is a 501(c)(3) and your donation is 100% tax-deductible. Join us in our mission to provide free, quality civil legal representation to Long Island’s neediest residents.

LEGAL SERVICES OF LONG ISLAND

631 232-2400 | 516 292-8100 | 631 369-1112

www.legalservicesli.org

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