All posts by Lee Wheeler

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an update to the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to set benefit levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This science-driven and long-overdue reevaluation will be welcome news for families across the country, many of whom will be better able to afford a healthy diet with greater

On Thursday, June 24, 2021, the moratorium on all electric, gas, water, telephone, broadband, and cable shut-offs ended. This allows utility companies to begin terminating service to customers behind on their bills as soon as Monday, June 28. This is a crisis because there are more than one million utility consumers in New York that

The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program will provide significant economic relief to help low and moderate-income households at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability by providing rental arrears, temporary rental assistance and utility arrears assistance.  For information, click here. 

Neighborhood Legal Service’s Navigators provide one-on-one assistance to families and individuals seeking to enroll in health insurance through the NYSoH Marketplace (New York Health Benefit Exchange). NLS Navigators provide education about the different types of health insurance plans offered through the marketplace and assist with enrollment into both public insurance programs and private qualified health

Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. as part of its H.E.L.P. at Evergreen Health initiative successfully advocated on behalf of a transgender client for a waiver of publication for a name change in Erie County Supreme Court.  The Court found that for transgender petitioners “the body of literature and statistics as to the high potential violence against such individuals,

On January 20, 2021, his first day in office, President Biden to extend the coronavirus-related payment suspension and 0% interest rate on certain federal student loans. This relief had been set to expire on January 31, 2021. Hopefully, this is the first of many actions Biden takes to fulfill his campaign promises to struggling student loan borrowers. Read