Throughout the morning of Nov. 7, more than ten people visited a van parked in front of the Sunset Park offices of Council member Alexa Avilés.
The van belonged to New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), a nonprofit organization providing legal services and financial counseling to New Yorkers through an array of services and specialized units. NYLAG is known for finding creative ways to reach out to those facing financial insecurity and to groups who may be marginalized from legal resources.
Being out in the neighborhood helps ensure that people who may not have the means to access traditional legal services can still receive guidance, said Amy Hozer-Weber, director of community access programs at NYLAG. NYLAG also partners with local elected officials and organizations, traveling to locations around the city four to five times every week.
“We find that it’s a great partnership because they know the community and the community knows them,” said Hozer-Weber. “We are partnering with a Council member and that provides some trust in us, which is really hopeful when we’re providing legal services to the community.” She added that they have multilingual staff for each neighborhood they visit.
On Friday, visitors to NYLAG’s van came to receive free legal assistance on various topics as part of the organization’s Mobile Legal Help Center. An immigrant from Ecuador needed help with labor issues. A union worker from Mexico asked for help finalizing a divorce. One mother from Ecuador had questions regarding her asylum claim.
But their concerns were just a small representation of the expertise NYLAG’s lawyers bring. “We do immigration law, housing law, family law, consumer debt, foreclosure, employment law and special education law,” Hozer-Weber said.
The mobile clinic, which encourages that people make appointments, also leaves some spots open for walk-ins throughout the day. Oftentimes, the words “legal assistance” on the van attract people who need legal advice or who want to learn more about the services offered, so Hozier says they try to help as many walk-ins as possible.
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She explained that elected officials often help schedule the appointments by speaking to their constituents — ahead of time and same day — in the area where the van will be parked. The NYLAG team then does a full intake in the van and provides legal counseling the same day if they have a legal expert in the matter. Otherwise, she said, they will transfer the case to the appropriate unit.
Hozer-Weber encourages anyone who needs legal assistance to check the mobile legal clinic’s calendar to make an appointment and see their next location.
“Our hope is to help as many people as possible whenever we can,” she said. “We are in the community and we want to provide services to increase access to justice for all New Yorkers.”
