Brooklyn Law School Forum: Sparer Public Interest Law

Thursday, March 15. 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Reception to follow - Subotnick Center, 250 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn

ABOUT THE FORUM: The forum will explore the causes of poverty and the impact of the recession on low-income individuals and families and examine how advocates use the law and other disciplines to address these problems. Since the recession began in 2007, unemployment has doubled and nearly 50 million Americans live in poverty. While most of these families have at least one person working, they are frequently underpaid or underemployed, making as little as $14,500 a year at a minimum wage job. To make ends meet, low-income individuals and families often have to borrow, paying unreasonably high interest rates and charges, which erode their already limited resources. Together these pressures have forced more New York City residents into homelessness and hunger than ever before; the Coalition for the Homeless reports that 113,552 people slept in the city's emergency shelters last year and the NYC Food Bank estimates that 62% of low-income families had trouble affording food.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Frances Fox-Piven, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology, Graduate Center, City University of New York

SPEAKERS:
- Edward De Barbieri '08, Urban Justice Center
- Richard Blum, Legal Aid Society
- Jennifer DaSilva, Start Small Think Big
- Sarah Ludwig, Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP)
- Brooke Richie, Resilience Advocacy Project

REGISTRATION/FURTHER INFORMATION: See: http://www.brooklaw.edu/newsandevents/events/2012/03-15-2012.aspx?