ADULT HOMES
An Analysis of the Quality Incentive Payment Program for Adult Homes
New York State’s QUIP program was designed to improve the quality of care to the poorest residents of adult homes. MFY’s December 2006 analysis shows that the millions of taxpayer dollars handed over to operators have resulted in few improvements for residents.
CONSUMER
Debt Deception: How Debt Buyers Abuse the Legal System to Prey on Lower-Income New Yorkers
This May 2010 report, a collaborative effort by MFY and other legal services providers, exposes the abuses of the consumer debt collection industry and puts forth an agenda for reform.
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
MFY’s June 2008 review of civil court data in four New York City boroughs raised the red flag on “sewer service” by debt collectors and prompted widespread reform in the licensing of debt collection agencies and the procedures that must be followed by process servers.
DISABILITY RIGHTS
Will the Next Pandemic Lead to More Nursing Home Resident Death and Despair? (2021)
This report reviews nursing homes’ compliance with a new state law and reveals that, failing to learn from prior mistakes, nursing homes’ pandemic emergency plans (PEPs) are grossly inadequate. Nursing homes’ PEPs lack actionable details, parrot the requirements, and fail to assign tasks to ensure accountability. The Department of Health must carefully review the adequacy of PEPs to ensure that nursing home residents are protected during future pandemics.
Involuntary Nursing Home Discharges: A Fast Track from Nursing Homes to Homeless Shelters (2021)
Often lacking legal representation to defend themselves, elderly residents are being discharged from nursing homes directly into homeless shelters against their will without adequate due process. This report reveals the gross unfairness and harm caused by the nursing home discharge notice and hearing process and offers solutions to ensure a fair process that results in a safe and appropriate discharge.
Imprisoned in Their Homes: How Nursing Homes’ Restrictive Day Pass Policies Violate Residents’ Right to Community Integration (2017)
Compared to other states, nursing homes in New York make it difficult for residents to leave to visit family, attend religious services, shop or engage in other activities in violation of their rights. The report offers recommendations to the New York State Department of Health for policy changes to rectify the problem.
Barriers to Justice: An Analysis of the ADA Liaison Program in New York City Courts (2016)
This report illustrates how New York City courts have failed to adequately implement the ADA Liaison program, designed to help people with disabilities access the courts and secure reasonable accommodations.
FORECLOSURE
Divergent Paths: The Need for More Uniform Standards and Practices in New York State’s Residential Foreclosure Conference Process (2016)
A joint report by MFY Legal Services, Queens Legal Services, Empire Justice Center and Legal Services NYC surveys foreclosure conference procedures and practices through the state and offers recommendations for more consistent and vigorous enforcement of the settlement conferences law.
Stalled Settlement Conferences: Banks Frustrate New York’s Foreclosure Settlement Conferences (2014)
A report by MFY, LSNYC and JASA documents how banks routinely violate the law and harm homeowners by failing to appear at conferences prepared to negotiate a settlement and calls upon courts to rigorously enforce the settlement conference law.
Justice Unsettled: How the Foreclosure Shadow Docket & Discontinuances Prevent New Yorkers from Saving Their Homes (2012)
Justice Unsettled, a follow-up report to Justice Deceived, shows how the shadow docket continues to grow and that thousands of homeowners continue to be denied access to settlement conferences where they can negotiate an affordable loan modification.
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners (2011)
Justice Deceived shows how large foreclosure firms subvert state regulations protecting homeowners by failing to file documents that move the case to a judge’s docket, trigger a state-mandated settlement conference, and alert housing counseling agencies that a homeowner needs assistance. Instead, cases remain in “limbo,” while the bank rejects mortgage payments and charges the homeowner fees and interest.
HOUSING
Minimum Income Requirements Bring Maximum Legal Trouble: How Landlords Illegally Use Minimum Income Requirements to Deny Housing to Voucher Holders (2024)
Landlords in New York City cannot discriminate against people who use housing vouchers to help pay their rent. The New York State Human Rights Law(“NYSHRL”) and the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) prohibit that and all other forms of source of income (“SOI”) discrimination. The prohibition is not new, but the ways in which SOI discrimination manifests adapts with time.
Short Changing New York City: The Impact of Airbnb on New York City’s Housing Market
This June 2016 report by MFY and Housing Conservation Coordinators shows that Airbnb rentals are significantly contributing to the decrease in affordable housing, especially in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Keeping Your Pet in a NYC Apartment:
A Tenant’s Guide to New York City’s Pet Laws
As landlords increasingly use the presence of animals in apartments to bring eviction proceedings against the elderly and people with disabilities, MFY drafted a guide with Community Access in 2008 to educate tenants on the law and how to exercise their right to keep pets.
KINSHIP CARE
Kincare Families & New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
This 2016 report shows how changing NYCHA’s definition of family will help protect children in kinship care and prevent children from entering the foster care system.
Long-Term Obstacles of Kinship Care: Overcoming Obstacles to Higher Education Funding
This 2014 report shows how misinformation given to grandparents and others who care for related children outside of the foster care system can lead to decisions that result in significant barriers to securing financial aid for post-secondary education.
2011 Report: Kinship Care in New York: Keeping Families Together
This report compiles recommendations from professionals and caregivers who attended the June 2010 Kincare Summit in Albany, New York, including recommendations for expanded legal assistance for kinship caregivers.
Removing Barriers to Successful Kin Caregiving
Compared to foster care parents, kinship caregivers receive little support. This report, released in June 2009 by the NYC Kincare Task Force, which is co-chaired by MFY, describes the barriers faced by caregivers and offers practical recommendations to improve performance by city agencies.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Implicit Bias in Manifestation Determination Reviews (MDRs): Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline and a Call for Independent MDR Educational Advocates (2023)
Click here for FOIL data tables
MFJ’s September 2023 analysis of New York City public school manifestation determination reviews (MDRs)—legally required meetings for students with disabilities facing a long-term suspension—reveals concerning trends with respect to race. In particular, the report finds that white students with disabilities appear to receive “the benefit of the doubt,” while Black and Hispanic students with disabilities receive less favorable treatment from NYC school staff.
WORKPLACE JUSTICE
Protecting Workers’ Right to Be Paid: A Guide for Advocates (2007)
This user-friendly guide for advocates presents New York State’s wage and hour laws in clear language and takes advocates through the steps needed to help workers recover unpaid wages and exercise their rights under the law.
Making Small Claims Court Work for New York: A Report on Workers’ Experiences Filing Claims for Unpaid Wages in NYC’s Small Claims Courts (2006)
Although workers are generally successful in securing judgments against employers for unpaid wages, few ever receive the wages they are owed. MFY’s 2006 report reveals serious problems with enforcement and calls for legislative and judicial reforms to protect workers.
Protecting New York Workers: How the State Department of Labor Can Improve Wage & Hour Enforcement (2006)
As a member of the Campaign to End Wage Theft, MFY helped to expose rampant wage theft in the state’s low-wage industries and to develop six recommendations for improving enforcement of wage and hour laws by the New York State Department of Labor.