New York State Bar Association Task Force Searches for Ways to Reduce Homelessness While Protecting Civil Liberties
6.21.2023
The New York State Bar Association is launching a new task force that will examine the impact of homelessness and explore ways that governments can intervene so that fewer people will be living on the streets.
More than 74,000 New Yorkers are homeless, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
“Homelessness is a crisis, and you can see it in every city in this country,” said New York State Bar Association President Richard Lewis. “This is a pressing issue that affects veterans, people with mental illness, victims of domestic violence and many others. We live in the richest country in the world, and we should be able to help people who are experiencing homelessness and often find themselves in life and death situations.”
The Task Force on Homelessness and The Law will look for concrete steps that local, state, and federal governments can take to reduce the number of people living on the streets and improve the lives of the chronically homeless. It will also examine how criminal justice and healthcare systems affect the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
William Russell, partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City, will chair the task force.
The members of the task force are:
- Vicki Been, professor at New York University School of Law, New York City.
- Laura M. Brancato, partner at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, Mineola.
- Robert E. Brown, founding member of the Law Offices of Robert E. Brown, New York City.
- Megan E. Curinga, partner at Hinman, Howard & Kattell, Binghamton.
- Heidi Dennis, executive director at Rural Law Center of New York, Plattsburgh.
- Meredith Dodd, counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York City.
- John D. Feerick, dean emeritus and professor at Fordham University School of Law, New York City.
- Helen E. Freedman, former associate justice of the Appellate Division, First Department, New York City.
- Joseph Glazer, deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, Mamaroneck.
- Tara Ann Glynn, managing attorney at Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Plattsburgh.
- Sophia Heller, task force adviser and managing attorney at Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, Albany.
- Francis G. Hoare Jr., interim executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, Albany.
- Rezwanul Islam, deputy executive director at Nassau Suffolk Law Services, Hempstead.
- Seymour W. James, past president of the New York State Bar Association, New York City.
- David Kagle, supervising attorney at Legal Assistance of Western New York, Bath.
- Kathryn Kliff, staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society, New York City.
- Leah Nowotarski, public defender for the Wyoming County Public Defender’s Office, Warsaw.
- Zachary Pike, director, civil division at the Legal Aid Society of Rochester.
- Kevin Quinn, director of impact litigation at the Center for Elder Law & Justice, Buffalo.
- Lisa Rivera, president and CEO of New York Legal Assistance Group, New York City.
- Laurie Rolnick, supervising attorney and director of eviction defense program at the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County, Syracuse.
- Dennis Schlenker, partner at the Law Offices of Dennis B. Schlenker, Albany.
- Chris Schweitzer, supervising attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, White Plains.
- Gerald Shalam, associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York City.
- Andrew W. Smith, deputy executive director at Westchester Residential Opportunities, Hastings-on-Hudson.
- Brian S. Stewart, attorney at Brian S. Stewart, Malone.
- Richard P. Swanson, managing director, general counsel at York Capital Management, Ridgewood, N.J.
- Richard J. Washington, attorney at the Law Offices of Richard J. Washington, New York City.
- Emily Ponder Williams, managing attorney, civil defense practice at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.
- Keisha A. Williams, executive director at the Western New York Law Center, Buffalo.
- David J. Woll, adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School.
