The Legal Aid Society jointly filed this class action lawsuit to challenge New York City’s conversion of Income Support Centers into Job Centers, where low-income New Yorkers were deterred, discouraged, and prevented from accessing Food Stamps, Medicaid, and cash benefits. In 1999, we secured a preliminary injunction requiring the City to comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements for administering benefits and temporarily enjoining the closure of additional Income Support Centers. The trial court found that many needy persons had gone “entirely without food on more than one occasion” as a result of the rushed conversions. In 2005, we secured a court order mandating that the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) provide Expedited Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (E-SNAP) benefits within seven days to desperate applicants without food or money to purchase food. The order also requires HRA to grant “Immediate needs” cash benefits on the day of application and to report monitoring data.

In 2023, we moved to hold the City and HRA in contempt for failing to comply with the 2005 order. For over three years, HRA failed to provide any monitoring data. Once obtained, the data showed the agency’s systemic failure to adequately provide E-SNAP and cash assistance benefits to eligible New Yorkers, leaving thousands of families unable to put food on the table or pay their rent. In 2024, we entered into a settlement and corrective action plan with HRA that has led to improved timely processing rates.

We continue to monitor the City’s compliance with the 2005 Order.