BROOKLYN - After months of discussion, U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (NY-10) is pleased to announce that Legal Services NYC (LS-NYC) reversed their original plans to consolidate some of their Brooklyn branches amid intense public concern.  Leading the effort to keep all of the Brooklyn branches open, Rep. Towns rallied hard with U.S. Reps. Nydia Velázquez (NY-12) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-11) since October 2009 to ensure that all of the Brooklyn branches remained open.

“For more than forty years, Brooklyn Legal Services has been empowering people through the quality legal services they provide to those who cannot afford to retain legal counsel,” said Rep. Towns. “Time and time again, they have delivered superbly on behalf of the people of New York, and they have done so in difficult and challenging times.”

LS-NYC, a Congressionally-funded organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income residents, has deliberated for the past year on how best to restructure its Brooklyn offices.  During a town hall meeting on January 5, 2010, the LS-NYC Board received opposition from Brooklyn residents about their restructuring plans to eliminate the neighborhood-based model at the Brooklyn branches.  Part of the restructuring plan included transferring some of the organization’s legal services, including legal assistance for clients dealing with eviction, foreclosure proceedings, immigration issues and domestic violence, to a centralized office. Brooklyn residents feared that rearranging and transferring any portion of LS-NYC’s services would adversely impact the quality of services Brooklyn residents received, leaving many residents disenfranchised and without access to important legal assistance. 

In several meetings and letters to the LS-NYC Board and Executive Director Andrew Scherer, Rep. Towns expressed his strong concerns about the agency’s restructuring plans, urging LS-NYC to retain its neighborhood-based model at the Brooklyn branches. The LS-NYC Board responded by not only agreeing to keep all of the Brooklyn branches intact, but they also committed to improving operations at the existing Brooklyn branches.

“I am deeply gratified that Congressman Towns and his dedicated staff stepped in to ensure that the delivery of legal services in New York City remains neighborhood based,” said Victor Olds, the managing director and general counsel of Bedford Stuyvesant Legal Services Corporation. 

Rep. Towns concluded, “I applaud the Brooklyn community, my congressional colleagues, and, most importantly, LS-NYC for their unwavering commitment to the thousands of people, who because of vulnerable life circumstances, need help navigating our justice system. The neighborhood-based model works, and I am happy that it will be preserved at all of the Brooklyn branches.”

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