Poverty Law Group Explains Need for Increased Aide in Empire Page Interview

ALBANY, NY (02/24/2009)(readMedia)-- Civil legal services providers are facing "a perfect storm as a result of the bad economy," according to Kristin Brown Lilley, Legislative Director for the Empire Justice Center, in an interview published today on the Empire Page website.

"We face increased need for legal assistance – from eviction and foreclosure prevention to help obtaining disability or unemployment benefits," Brown Lilley states. Two of three primary funding sources for these agencies have been decimated in recent years according to Brown Lilley.

The Empire Justice Center, which supports 20 legal services delivery agencies outside of New York City, seeks an increase in the governor's 2009-2010 budget proposal from $1 million to $11.4 million.

The Improving New York section of the Empire Page explores solutions to New York's government-related problems. Future interviews will focus on local government reform, criminal justice and New York's budget crisis.

The Empire Page is published by PoliticalNewsToday.com, LLC, which seeks to provide information and opinion on the key issues of the day through websites that aggregate news and opinion and provide useful content for people active in government and politics. The partnership consists of Peter G. Pollak, who is the majority shareholder and actively manages the company, Schwartz-Heslin Group and Wynantskill Capital.