Legal Information for Families Today

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Lily Sharp
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1 Legal Information for Families Today Empowering Families To Access Justice in New York s Family Courts

2 About LIFT Justice for All. One Family at a Time. Launched in 1996, Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) is the only non-profit in New York City dedicated to empowering people to selfadvocate in the Family Courts, where over 80% of litigants do not have a lawyer. LIFT s Mission: To enhance access to justice for children and families by providing legal information, community education, and compassionate guidance, while promoting system-wide reform of the courts and public agencies. LIFT s Vision: That all people have equal access to justice in the Family Courts, are empowered to seek the legal outcomes that they identify as best for themselves and their families, and have access to high quality legal information, support, and services.

3 LIFT s Program Model Short-Term Interventions Education & Information Sites Family Law Telephone, , and Live Chat Hotlines Long-Term Engagements Family Legal Center Workshops and Support Groups Educational Resources Legal Resource Guides Online Legal Education Program (Webinars) Activity materials for children System Reform Giving voice to those we serve through public testimonies, taskforces and coalitions Judge for a Day

4 Geographic Scope of Services Across All Programs * Staten Island (1,349) 6% Outside NYC (1,223) 5% 40% 35% 30% Education & Information Sites Family Law Hotlines Family Legal Centers Manhattan (4,285) 18% 25% 20% Brooklyn (7,078) 31% Queens (6,241) 27% 15% 10% Bronx (3,085) 13% 5% 0% Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Outside NYC Families across New York benefit from LIFT s unique programs. * LIFT does not require program participants to disclose geographic information to receive services. This data is based on 85% of LIFT participants. Overall, we served 27,798 people in 2013.

5 Areas of Inquiry LIFT s Education & Information Sites answered nearly 125,000 questions in LIFT s Hotlines answered nearly 80,000 questions in 2013.

6 2013 Demographics Families Served Across All LIFT Programs

7 LIFT Annual Budget LIFT s fiscal year: October 1 September 30. LIFT has a reserve fund to ensure the organization s stability in uncertain economic times. LIFT has always enjoyed a clean audit. LIFT raises $3.50 for every $1.00 the organization receives from the New York City Council. LIFT FY2014 Budget: $2.1 million

Short-Term Interventions Family Court-based Education & Information Sites Education & Information (EI) Sites are located in the lobbies and waiting areas of the Family Courts in all five boroughs of

8 Short-Term Interventions Family Court-based Education & Information Sites Education & Information (EI) Sites are located in the lobbies and waiting areas of the Family Courts in all five boroughs of New York City. At the EI Sites, bilingual (Spanish/English) staff provide on-the-spot family law information, referrals, and LIFT s Legal Resource Guides. In 2013, the EI Sites: o Served 14,500 people o Answered nearly 125,000 questions about family law and Family Court procedure o Distributed over 115,000 Legal Resource Guides

Short-Term Interventions Family Law Hotlines LIFT s Family Law Hotlines help individuals understand their legal rights, options, and the Family Court Process.

9 Short-Term Interventions Family Law Hotlines LIFT s Family Law Hotlines help individuals understand their legal rights, options, and the Family Court Process. They also provide referrals and access to LIFT s other programs. Hotline staff answer questions ranging from Where is Family Court? to How can I get financial support to care for my grandchild? The Hotlines are available via: Telephone Live Chat In 2013, the Hotlines: o Served 12,000 people (15% live outside of New York City) o Answered 80,500 questions about family law and Family Court procedure o Made 12,000 referrals to community-based organizations, legal services, and other services Also in 2013, thanks to the NYC Council, we upgraded the Telephone Hotline technology to improve efficiency and ensure greater continuity of service in emergencies.

Long-Term Engagements Family Legal Center LIFT operates a Family Legal Center (FLC) inside the Family Courts of all five boroughs of New York City.

10 Long-Term Engagements Family Legal Center LIFT operates a Family Legal Center (FLC) inside the Family Courts of all five boroughs of New York City. FLC Goal: Empower low-income mothers, fathers, and grandparents with the tools to: Understand their legal rights and responsibilities Navigate Family Court process and procedures Determine personalized legal goals and develop achievement plans Successfully self-advocate for their families in the system FLC staff are teamed with participants over periods of weeks and months. Specific services include: Individualized legal information Help filling out court documents Family Court appearance preparation Accompaniments to Court and Office of Child Support Enforcement FLC staff work with litigants over periods of weeks and months to empower them with the tools to self-advocate in Family Court. In 2013, the FLCs served 1,400 people Eligibility Requirement: FLC Participants must be involved in NYS child support, custody, or visitation cases without a lawyer.

Long-Term Engagements Workshops and Support Groups To help our program participants meet

needs. These services include: Parenting Workshops 10 week curriculum-based series.

11 Long-Term Engagements Workshops and Support Groups To help our program participants meet their legal goals, LIFT offers other support services to address social and economic needs. These services include: Parenting Workshops 10 week curriculum-based series. Focuses on enhancing co-parenting relationships and building parenting strengths. Mothers Support Groups 4 week cycle. Co-facilitated by a LIFT attorney and LIFT social worker to provide legal and social support and resources. In 2013, we partnered with organizations in the Bronx and Brooklyn to offer these groups at their community-based facilities. In 2014, we are expanding the locations to partner organizations in Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Educational Resources Legal Resource Guides LIFT s original Legal Resource Guides: Cover nearly 40 family law topics Procedural Topics, ie: How to Start a Case Know Your Rights, ie: Rights of

12 Educational Resources Legal Resource Guides LIFT s original Legal Resource Guides: Cover nearly 40 family law topics Procedural Topics, ie: How to Start a Case Know Your Rights, ie: Rights of Immigrants in Family Court Navigation, ie: Maps of the Family Courts Written at a fifth grade reading level Available in up to eight different languages Distributed through all LIFT program and on our website Available at correctional facilities and partner organizations Pat the Pigeon Goes to Family Court LIFT also produces guides for children and teens: Pat the Pigeon Goes to Family Court coloring and activity book When I was Before the Judge illustrated book about the juvenile justice system In 2014, we have two goals related to our Guides: 1) To complete our project to consolidate the Guides to improve their readability and effectiveness 2) To complete our second children s activity book, Pat the Pigeon Has Two Nests, explaining custody and visitation.

Family Court-based Sites: 116,150 - Number of Guides downloaded from www.liftonline.

13 Distribution of LIFT Legal Resource Guides * Total of four guides, each specific to Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens Total guides distributed across programs: 169,373 - Number of Guides distributed at Family Court-based Sites: 116,150 - Number of Guides downloaded from 53,223 Nearly 20% of guides received are in languages other than English (e.g. Spanish, French, Hebrew, Chinese, Korean, Haitian/Creole, or Russian)

LIFT Online Communication Advancing our mission through technology Online Legal Education Program & Live Chat Launched in 2012, LIFT s Online Legal Education Program offers free, online webinars on a

QR Codes LIFT has partnered with the New York City Human Resources Administration s Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), to add a Quick Response (QR) Code on to their child support summons.

14 LIFT Online Communication Advancing our mission through technology Online Legal Education Program & Live Chat Launched in 2012, LIFT s Online Legal Education Program offers free, online webinars on a variety of Family Court topics. Also in 2012, we added Live Chat to our portfolio of Family Law Hotlines. QR Codes LIFT has partnered with the New York City Human Resources Administration s Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), to add a Quick Response (QR) Code on to their child support summons. This technology enables individuals to scan her/his mobile electronic device over the QR code to download the online version of LIFT s step-bystep guide to filling out financial disclosure affidavits. Salesforce LIFT uses Salesforce a cloud-based data management system to compile quantitative data and qualitative assessments of all program data. Use of Salesforce has greatly increased program-wide efficiency, and also allowed us to build a paperless filing system.

case and feel prepared to take it Participants also report: As harrowing as the ordeal of having my children involved in the system has been, one of my saving graces has been LIFT.

15 Outcome Measurement How Well Are We Doing? Program participants report that thanks to LIFT: 99% better understand the Family Court process 87% feel more confidence when speaking before Judges and Court staff 98% know their next step in their case and feel prepared to take it Participants also report: As harrowing as the ordeal of having my children involved in the system has been, one of my saving graces has been LIFT. I was able to take part in their workshops, get great legal information, and build fellowship with positive people. Thank you. I m confident now that I'm more well informed about the legal process and how effectively I represent my child support case in front of the judge in Family Court Outcome Measurement Project LIFT is collaborating with a team of students from NYU Wagner to conduct a year-long outcome study. As a result of this project, we will: Strengthen our capacity to track performance and a better understanding of longterm program impact Improve our use of outcomes data to build higher levels of performance Develop a more effective service delivery model

16 Board of Directors, Staff, & Volunteers LIFT Board of Directors Comprises of 15 active and dedicated member Includes two of the organization s three founders 100% of directors contribute financially to the organization Board committees ensure sound and transparent oversight LIFT Staff and Volunteers Number of staff: 19 Number of volunteers: 30, mostly law student volunteers All frontline staff and volunteers go through an intensive and ongoing training process led by LIFT s Director of Programs. The training covers substantive legal topics, communication skills, and how to deliver services with a respect and understanding.

17 Goals for In , LIFT has four primary goals: i. Continue to operate its unique programs, all of which provide important legal information in a supportive way to New Yorkers facing the complex Family Courts system without legal representation ii. Refine outcome measurement tools to improve program assessment iii.further enhance program models to boost efficiency iv.provide additional targeted information for children by releasing our second children s activity book, Pat the Pigeon Has Two Nests, about custody and visitation.

2015 Budget Hearing Statement Patricia Jackowiak, Director Department of Administrative Hearings Friday, October 31, 2014

2015 Budget Hearing Statement Patricia Jackowiak, Director Department of Administrative Hearings Friday, October 31, 2014 Good Morning, Chairman Austin and members of the City Council. Thank you for the