Welfare Denial Claims Fuel City Lawsuit
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Some New Yorkers are taking the city to court over claims they were denied vital benefits just because they don't speak English. NY1's Rebecca Spitz filed the following report. Through tears and an interpreter, Meksheng Kwong says she was mistreated by the city's Human Resources Administration.
"When I went to apply for benefits I said 'Cantonese, Cantonese, they said no, no, no," Kwong said.
Kwong says no one in the HRA center on 14th Street would help her because she doesn't speak English and told her to go home.
"A few days later on they sent me a letter saying I didn't go to recertify my benefits and they told me they were going to cut my benefits," Kwong said.
Desperate for help, Kwong turned to Legal Services NYC. On Tuesday, the group filed suit against HRA, alleging the agency violated several clients' civil rights.
"This lawsuit was filed on behalf of six plaintiffs, all of whom are low income New Yorkers entitled to public benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid but who've been denied service because of their inability to communicate in English," said Amy Taylor of Legal Services NYC.
Queens Councilman John Liu was the original sponsor of a local law mandating HRA centers provide translation and interpretation services for all of its clients.
"The issue is simple," Liu said. "People are learning English but before they are fluent in English they still need basic city services."
There are 69 HRA centers throughout the five boroughs. Legal Services NYC has been watching how they handle clients who don't speak English and says what it found is disappointing.
"Our clients regularly report they cannot understand notices about their benefits, that their benefits are cut off until they can find a neighbor, a stranger or even a child to accompany them to a meeting at a center," Taylor said.
No one from HRA was available for an on camera interview Tuesday but its commissioner said in a statement, "HRA has a long-standing commitment to providing language access to our services for the city's immigrant population and will continue to serve those in need."
The agency says it has hundreds of bilingual staffers and calls in private contractors to interpret 7,000 to 8,000 other cases each year -- something the lawsuit filers say is just not good enough.