Child advocacy groups decry lack of funding in New York’s 2024 budget proposal

March 17, 2023 Robert Abruzzese

A partial view of the New York state Capitol building, left, is shown next to the state Appellate court building in foreground, right, Monday, April 4, 2022, in Albany, N.Y. AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File

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STATEWIDE — A coalition of ten prominent child advocacy organizations expressed their disappointment over the omission of increased funding for Attorneys for Children (AFC) legal services offices in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget proposal and the New York State Legislature’s budget bills.

The organizations, including the Legal Aid Society and Lawyers for Children, are calling for $15 million in additional funding to address two decades of stagnant support and recent cuts that have led to severe understaffing and overwhelming workloads for existing staff.

“We are deeply disappointed that Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature failed to include $15 million in increased funding for Attorneys for Children (”AFC”) legal services offices,” said a statement issued by the coalition. “Twenty years of near flat funding and recent funding cuts have resulted in stunning attrition, difficulty recruiting new staff and crushing workloads for the staff that remain. We call on Governor Hochul and the Legislature to protect children’s rights and equal access to justice for the predominantly Black and Latinx families who rely on the Family Courts, by adequately funding the AFC offices that fight for their right to a safe, stable, and loving home.

“The thousands of infants, children, youth, and young adults who we represent rely on their attorneys, social workers, youth advocates, paralegals, and administrative staff necessary to provide the holistic representation required to lift their voices and advocate for their rights in life-altering legal proceedings.”

The groups argue that the predominantly Black and Latino families who rely on the Family Courts for matters of abuse, neglect, delinquency, and custody are being disproportionately affected by inadequate funding. They insist that the state must prioritize the rights of children and provide them with the high-quality, interdisciplinary legal representation they need and deserve.

The coalition highlights the critical role played by AFC offices in representing thousands of vulnerable children and young adults in life-altering legal proceedings. These include children wrongfully removed from their families due to systemic bias, poverty, and housing instability; youth in foster care; teens orphaned by COVID; young people at risk of homelessness when they age out of foster care; and undocumented victims of child sex trafficking.

While acknowledging the increased funding for public defenders, parents’ attorneys, and AFC 18b panel attorneys, the organizations claim that neglecting the AFC offices, which provide direct legal services to 90 percent of children in the cities and counties where they operate, will only exacerbate the denial of access to justice.

The coalition also contends that the denial of high-quality legal services offered by AFC offices perpetuates the “second-class system of justice for people of color in New York State,” as documented in reports by Secretary Jeh Johnson and the Williams Commission.

The advocacy groups are urging Governor Hochul and the Legislature to reassess their budgetary priorities, emphasizing that budgets reflect values and the need to protect the rights and well-being of the children they serve.