In March of this year I transitioned from Settlement Conference Coordinator of the Nassau County Bar Association’s Mortgage Foreclosure Project to Regional Attorney Coordinator of the Empire Justice Center’s Crime Victim’s Legal Network (“CVLN”), a civil legal services crime victim-focused program. While the connection between my previous role and my current work with CVLN may not seem readily apparent, they are surprisingly linked. The main goal of the CVLN Regional Attorney Coordinator is to provide civil legal technical assistance, principally to Office of Victims Services funded attorneys across the State of New York. As the Nassau Bar Association settlement conference coordinator, I appeared daily in foreclosure settlement conferences on behalf of homeowners who faced the daunting prospect of losing their home, and also administered bi-monthly foreclosure clinics to homeowners who sought help in a legal area largely unknown.
But where’s the connection between the two distinctly separate roles? Across the hundreds of cases in which I offered foreclosure assistance, it became apparent that crime victims often find themselves facing foreclosure. This is especially prevalent in domestic situations, where, for example, a domestic partner who exercised complete financial control leaves the relationship and the non-working survivor is unable to make mortgage payments. In fact, it was not unusual for me to witness a “survivor homeowner” appear in foreclosure court with a family offense protective order. Outside of domestic scenarios, victims of violent crimes such as aggravated assault or battery can experience consequential post-traumatic stress, and thus often left unable to work and afford their mortgage payments.
Moreover, the majority of crime victims share something in common. As evidenced by a CVLN survey of over 300 crime victims across the State of New York and irrespective of the specific crime involved, the majority of crime victims agreed that their greatest concern was negative financial impact, resulting in debt and subsequent inability to meet basic expenses, including making mortgage payments. This Financial impact is even more prevalent considering the effects of COVID-19, during which astronomical unemployment rates have increased the risk of foreclosure for all people.
Regardless of the type of law you practice or encounter as an advocate, you will likely see foreclosures in the near future, especially once courts return to full operation and lenders can proceed with pending and new foreclosure actions. CVLN’s website, NY Crime Victims Legal Help, features a comprehensive “Housing and Foreclosure” section. In addition, our “Advocate Gateway,” provides a rich resource of legal information for civil legal services attorneys and advocates members, including our most recent webinar entitled, “Foreclosure Basics and COVID-19 Impact. In fact, all the webinars that comprise the CVLN “Technical Assistance Webinar Series” will be available exclusively for OVS funded attorneys on the Advocate Gateway.
I look forward to serving, with passion and enthusiasm, OVS-funded attorneys and advocates statewide, not only in the area of mortgage foreclosure, but across a multitude of civil legal practice areas.
Please feel free to reach out to Nicole with any questions, comments or help with civil legal assistance at nlubell@empirejustice.org.