Legal Aid Society
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1987

Advancing City Shelter Standards

The Court of Appeals ruled in McCain v. Koch that New York courts have the power to establish and enforce standards for the shelter provided to homeless families. Legal Aid Society attorneys filed Jiggetts v. Grinker to challenge the failure of the State Department of Social Services to provide adequate shelter allowances to families on public assistance, which eventually led to the provision of rental assistance to save the homes of thousands of families with children.