Legal‑service providers press Council for immediate RTC funding, contract fixes and higher case rates

Nonprofit legal providers and tenant advocates urged the City Council to shore up the Right to Counsel program immediately, saying current case rates and contract terms make full legal representation financially unsustainable for many community‑based providers.

Speakers from neighborhood offices and citywide providers described three related problems: the length and complexity of contemporary eviction litigation, a shortage of attorneys and support staff, and contract features that impede planning and cash flow. Providers said the expansion of protections in recent years (the state Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act and Good Cause changes) improved tenants’ substantive protections but also lengthened cases and increased the time counsel must spend on each file.

Several witnesses called for three concrete contract changes: (1) restore an ability to count or compensate for cases that span fiscal years (so providers are not penalized when a case continues past the contract year), (2) remove or revise the 10% performance‑based withholding and delayed invoicing practices that leave providers with only 90% reimbursement until mid‑year reviews, and (3) raise case rates to reflect lengthier and more complex work. Multiple providers said a $7,500 per‑case rate would better cover costs; other speakers asked the city to add at least $350 million to annual funding to approach universal representation.

Providers also emphasized hiring and retention: nonprofit organizations reported vacancy and turnover problems that make it difficult to scale representation even when funds are available. They asked for more flexible contract line items (for paralegals, social workers and community outreach) that enable upstream prevention and quicker resolutions. They warned that without adjustments, smaller community‑based providers — who have neighborhood knowledge and screening relationships — may be forced to reduce services or exit the program, weakening citywide coverage.

Providers asked for regular, operational meetings between OCJ, OCA and provider leads to resolve implementation problems (intake flows, virtual screening, language access) and to ensure timely payments so nonprofits can meet payroll.

Ending note: provider testimony framed the changes as both a fiscal necessity for providers and a practical way to deliver the statutory promise of counsel to more eligible tenants.