Support for New Yorkers Facing Eviction: July News
This month, the VOLS Benefits Law Project opened our Housing Court Benefits Initiative (HCBI) office inside Manhattan Housing Court. HCBI was conceived as an effective way to help New Yorkers access existing public benefits that help maintain their current housing and prevent their eviction. Tenants in Housing Court receive free legal information and advice on critical benefits like the emergency rent arrears grant (“One-Shot Deal”), Family Housing Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS), and City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS). The office is staffed by VOLS BLP’s legal team and attorneys from our pro bono partners Cleary Gottlieb and Goodwin. We are very grateful for their partnership!
We are already seeing the impact: Our client ZT, who spent much of his childhood living in city shelters and managing a disability, struggled for years to afford rent and ultimately faced an eviction proceeding. He twice applied on his own for a “One-Shot Deal” and was denied each time without explanation. The judge in ZT’s case referred him to HCBI, where the team immediately assessed his eligibility for CityFHEPS to pay his outstanding rent debt and future rent. Through our team’s dogged advocacy, ZT was approved only days away from eviction. He can remain in his home.
HCBI is an example of how public-private-nonprofit partnerships can transform lives and help New Yorkers move forward.
Best,
Abja Midha | She/Her
Executive Director
Board and Pro Bono Advocates Council Updates
This summer, we welcomed Erica Jaffe, Partner, Fried, Frank, and Courtenay Myers Lima, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP, to our Board of Directors. Our Pro Bono Advocates Council (PBAC) is pleased to welcome new members Charlotte Allyn, Associate, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP; Amanda Blazek, Associate, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; and Bradford Meisel, Counsel-Investments, MetLife Investment Management.
VOLS Welcomes Senior Law Project Staff Attorney
VOLS is thrilled to welcome Rae Ellis as a Staff Attorney for the VOLS Senior Law Project. Rae will work with pro bono and community partners to expand access to incapacity and life planning legal services for New York City’s older adults.
Get To Know Our Team
As part of the VOLS Spotlight Series, we spoke with Jacqueline Valdez Monroy, Legal Assistant for the VOLS Microenterprise and Incarcerated Mothers Law Project.
What does your role as the Legal Assistant for the VOLS MEP and IMLP involve?
My role as a legal assistant for the Microenterprise Project (MEP) and the Incarcerated Mothers Law Project (IMLP) is varied. For MEP, I screen applications, speak to clients to get a better sense of their business and legal assistance requests, and I facilitate the transition of client to MEP staff. Beyond that, I’ve been involved in research-based projects focused on issues affecting New York City small business owners and how VOLS can adapt to support them. For IMLP, I usually ensure that incoming cases are properly assigned to their pro bono lawyers, set up introduction emails to said pro bono lawyers, and identify key areas of support during the NYS Women’s Prisons Quarterly Roundtable.
Is there an experience and/or client that you found particularly memorable?
One of the most interesting opportunities I had with IMLP was the chance to assist in the NYS Women’s Prisons Quarterly Roundtable, where I heard firsthand from community organizers regarding issues New York prisons are currently undergoing. I found it incredibly insightful to be a part of conversations beyond NYC, noticing patterns between prisons in different regions, and understanding how intertwined the carceral system is with public health.
Tell us about yourself. What does your ideal weekend in NYC look like?
I’ve only been living in New York for a little under a year, after moving from California (both SoCal and NorCal). On a typical weekend, I’m usually reading my book club’s book of the month at a park, ideally attending a ballet show or museum, and playing tennis with friends while trying to avoid getting burned under the sun. Since moving to New York and experiencing a full summer here, I’ve gotten to attend activities like the U.S. Open, Shakespeare in the Park, Queens Night Market, and even Loteria night (Mexican bingo), allowing me to explore different boroughs and communities of NYC.
Thank You to Our Summer Interns
VOLS is grateful to our talented interns for their dedication, hard work, and collaboration this summer. Thank you to Peyton L. Carroll, Sammantha Garcia, Kira Giordano, Sadie Kreps, Neo Nguyen, Jennifer Perez, and Ashley Yu.
June Project Highlights
VOLS Benefits Law Project (BLP) helped older adults assess their eligibility and apply for benefits under the NYC Rent Freeze Program. BLP held a rent freeze presentation and clinic at Leonard Covello Older Adult Center supported by pro bono volunteers from Mayer Brown. The team also held a second rent freeze presentation and clinic at Edie Windsor SAGE Center alongside pro bono volunteers from Con Edison. Our HCBI continued our regular presence in Manhattan Housing Court with volunteers from Cleary Gottlieb and Goodwin.
VOLS Incarcerated Mothers Law Project (IMLP) continued to hold in-person clinics for our incarcerated clients. This month, we held a legal clinic to provide education, advocacy, and counsel at Rikers Island’s Rose M. Singer Center supported by pro bono attorneys from Faegre Drinker, Freshfields, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, and NBC Sports. IMLP also created a new Family Court Petition Guide for our pro bono volunteers.
VOLS Microenterprise Project (MEP) was on site at PowerCONNECT, sponsored by the Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center. The team met with 15 small businesses and entrepreneurs to provide information and legal resources and connected with small-business-focused community-based organizations.
VOLS Senior Law Project (SLP) held an intake clinic in Mandarin for Chinese American older adults at Garden of Hope supported by bilingual attorneys from Davis Polk & Wardwell. In preparation, SLP created new Chinese language materials and a new bilingual training module to support our pro bono attorneys. SLP also held legal clinics and educational programs with West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing and at Homecrest Sheepshead Bay Center conducted in Mandarin and Cantonese. SLP also held an intake clinic at Harlem Advocates for Seniors supported by volunteer attorneys from King & Spalding and Capital One.
Team VOLS x TCS New York City Marathon
Team VOLS is an Official Charity Partner of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon! Our team is running to help close the access to justice gap for New Yorkers in need of civil legal services. Visit our page to make a gift and meet our fabulous team.
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