Pro Bono systemic advocacy at WNY Law Center

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Pro Bono
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Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 12:03 pm

Pro Bono systemic advocacy at WNY Law Center

Post by Pro Bono »

Pro Bono working on systemic issues at the Western New York Law Center:

Issue #1 The Buffalo Water Authority and the need to charge rates that are fair and equitable for low income residents.

The Buffalo Water Authority, an indpendent State authority, terminates water services to several thousand residents each year who are unable to pay their water bills. We have seen numerous such individuals at the Law Center, each of whom owes thousands of dollars in back water bills, penalties and interest. All the clients we have seen were living on a limited fixed income below the federal poverty level. Given their income, they will never be unable to pay off the sums the Water Authority says they owe.

Our goal on this project is to get the Authority to impose lower rates that will help individuals who can document their inability to pay because they are living on a limited fixed income, facing a family emergency, struggling with a disability, are on active military service or are limited by some other difficult life circumstance.

Issue #2: Working with banks to get them to devise equitable financial services for first-time homebuyers, small businesses, community development loans.

In 2017, the Buffalo Niagara Community Reinvestment Coalition, a not-for-profit composed of 10 major community organizations, reached community benefits agreement with Northwest and KeyBank. In those two agreements, the banks committed to spend in excess of 1 1/2 billion dollars over the next five years to provide greater financial services to low and moderate income people and communities of color. Those historic agreements have received national attention. We are also engaged in discussions with other banks asking them to enhance the financial services they provide to historically neglected populations. We view this work with banks as one of the emerging major civil rights issues of our day.

Students interested in pro bono volunteer work should contact Stephen Halpern at schalpern46@gmail.com or Kathryn Franco at kfranco@wnylc.com.
Lisa Patterson
Program Director for Externships, Public Interest
and Access to Justice Initiatives
518 O'Brian Hall
Phone: (716) 645-6262
Email: LPatter@Buffalo.edu
Pronouns: She/her/hers

My Office is a Safe Space
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