HRA outlines five‑year plan for Right to Counsel, warns funding and data gaps limit reach

New York City’s Human Resources Administration told the City Council’s oversight committee it will publish its first public five‑year strategic plan for the Right to Counsel program and begin a procurement process intended to align contracts with case realities. Administrator French and HRA staff said they will use data from fiscal 2025 to estimate how many housing‑court cases are eligible for counsel and to better model funding and staffing needs.

HRA explained that prior internal strategic planning had not been the same as a public plan and that the agency expects the forthcoming document to guide contract length, reimbursement timing and any adjustments to how deliverables are measured. “This is the first time there will be an official 5 year strategic plan that we'll publish,” HRA said in opening remarks to the committee.

HRA officials addressed a recurring operational issue: cases that extend beyond a single contract year. The agency said it currently reimburses providers for work…