New York City’s top non-profit legal services providers, including The Legal Aid Society, have sent a letter to Mayor Eric Adams urging him to immediately correct the payment issues and delays currently threatening the organizations’ ability to provide critical housing and immigration services to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

These payment delays threaten the ability of non-profits to maintain basic operations resulting in fewer New Yorkers having access to the critical legal services they need and deserve.

“Ensuring adequate and timely funding for the organizations that provide critical housing and immigration services to New Yorkers in need is vitally important, now more than ever,” said Twyla Carter, CEO and Attorney-In-Chief at The Legal Aid Society.

“There are thousands of individuals and families across New York City who rely on our organizations for a litany of essential services, yet our funding continues to be fraught with issues and delays that impede our ability to deliver for those who need it most,” she continued. “The City must take immediate action to ensure that non-profits can continue to operate at full capacity, providing for all New Yorkers who need them.”

The letter co-signers include Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, NMIC, the New York Legal Assistance Group, Legal Services NYC, CAMBA Legal Services, Brooklyn Defender Services, the Human Services Council, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, The Bronx Defenders, TakeRoot Justice, Mobilization for Justice, the Urban Justice Center, and BronxWorks.