Mission
MFY envisions a society in which no one is denied justice because he or she cannot afford an attorney. To make this vision a reality, MFY provides free legal assistance to residents of New York City on a wide range of civil legal issues, prioritizing services to vulnerable and under-served populations, while simultaneously working to end the root causes of inequities through impact litigation, law reform and policy advocacy.
What We Do
MFY's attorneys and paralegals handle some 8,000 cases each year. MFY's clients are low income, and many are living below the poverty line, subsisting on public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI--for people with disabilities who are unable to work), Social Security, and public assistance. Close to half of MFY's clients are facing eviction from affordable housing, are living in substandard or dangerous conditions and need legal help to correct these conditions, or are being harassed by landlords who use increasingly aggressive tactics in an attempt to get people out of rent-regulated apartments.
MFY also defends homeowners in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island who are facing foreclosure and has initiated class action lawsuits against banks and others for violating the rights of homeowners. MFY's Consumer Rights Project focuses on defending low-income people who are being improperly sued for consumer debt and who have been victims of “sewer service.”
MFY also defends low-wage workers who have not been paid in accordance with wage and hour laws and are owed back wages, workers who are improperly denied Unemployment benefits, and ex-offenders who need licenses in order to re-enter the workforce.
MFY operates the largest civil legal practice in the country dedicated to helping people with mental illness by providing advice, counsel and representation on a wide range of issues. MFY's Adult Home Advocacy Project defends the rights of 4,500 people with mental illness living in adult homes and works to win their right to move to supported housing in the community.
MFY also helps children who are being cared for by grandparents and other relatives outside of the formal foster care system to achieve greater permanency in their lives by representing caregivers in custody, guardianship or adoption cases.
MFY also defends homeowners in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island who are facing foreclosure and has initiated class action lawsuits against banks and others for violating the rights of homeowners. MFY's Consumer Rights Project focuses on defending low-income people who are being improperly sued for consumer debt and who have been victims of “sewer service.”
MFY also defends low-wage workers who have not been paid in accordance with wage and hour laws and are owed back wages, workers who are improperly denied Unemployment benefits, and ex-offenders who need licenses in order to re-enter the workforce.
MFY operates the largest civil legal practice in the country dedicated to helping people with mental illness by providing advice, counsel and representation on a wide range of issues. MFY's Adult Home Advocacy Project defends the rights of 4,500 people with mental illness living in adult homes and works to win their right to move to supported housing in the community.
MFY also helps children who are being cared for by grandparents and other relatives outside of the formal foster care system to achieve greater permanency in their lives by representing caregivers in custody, guardianship or adoption cases.
Causes
COMMUNITY AND SERVICE
DEMOCRACY AND POLITICS
HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS
HUMAN RIGHTS
I JUST WANT TO DO GOOD
POVERTY ALLEVIATION