2020-11-05T16:00:44-06:00 2019-12-31 271895149 Heveron & Company CPAs PLLC 260 Plymouth Avenue South Rochester NY 14608 990 2019-01-01 161487925 Empire Justice Center EMPI 5854544060 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 Kristin Brown President and CEO 5854544060 2020-11-05 1 Brenda Smith P00617844 5852322956 2020-11-04 24.213.221.209 2020-11-05 12:19:46 ES P 98ED3B91A36AB65A5BA3FABE0B1B01884429B43C 98ED3B91A36AB65A5BA3FABE0B1B01884429B43C 2019 2021-01-29 14:40:06Z Kristin Brown 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 6538866 0 X www.empirejustice.org X 1995 NY Empire Justice is a statewide organization working to improve civil justice in NY (See Sch.O)The Empire Justice Center is a statewide multi-issue, multi-strategy organization focused on changing the systems within which poor and low income families live. Empire Justice provides legal assistance to those in need, offers training and support to community-based organizations, and works to improve programs and services for those in need. 13 13 89 163 0 0 762212 1133919 6218268 5394344 947 402 -2611 -3094 6978816 6525571 0 0 0 0 5178860 4758233 0 0 0 2124360 1765275 7303220 6523508 -324404 2063 2328252 2484703 1359545 1513933 968707 970770 X To protect and strengthen the legal rights of people in New York State who are poor, disabled or disenfranchised through: systems change advocacy, training and support to other advocates and organizations, and high quality direct civil legal representation. 0 0 1029245 1033334 Disability Benefits: Empire Justice contracts with New York State to provide legal assistance to individuals in Western New York who have been inappropriately denied or terminated from federal disability and supplemental security income programs. In 2019, Empire Justice administered a sub-contract with LawNY to provide these regional services. In 2019, 404 cases were closed in the region, generating approximately $889,957 in interim assistance to clients and an additional $3,146,622 in retroactive benefits. In 2019, the Western New York Disability Advocacy Program (DAP) won 74% of cases. Empire Justice also contracts with the state under DAP to provide training, support and technical assistance to local grantees throughout the state. 737352 651493 Foreclosure Prevention: In 2019, Empire Justice continued its role as Anchor Partner as designated by the NYS Attorney General in efforts to combat foreclosures in New York. In this role, Empire Justice oversees 54 legal services and housing counseling contracts, oversees data collection and provides statewide training, support and technical assistance to grantees. Empire Justice also provided direct representation to homeowners at risk of foreclosure in the Greater Rochester area. In 2019 assistance was provided to 107 homeowners who were victims of predatory lending and/or who were at risk of foreclosure. The foreclosure prevention work of Empire Justice Center achieved restructuring and refinancing of clients' predatory loans, saving them tens of thousands of dollars over the life of their loans. 592450 522391 Crime Victims: Empire Justice partners with the University at Albany's Center for Human Services Research, and Pro Bono Net on the New York State Crime Victims Legal Network Project, a federally-funded project that brings awareness to the many civil legal needs of crime victims, while also helping victims access civil legal assistance. The Network focuses on the 57 counties outside of New York City. In 2019, the Network completed a statewide expansion of www.crimevictimshelpny.org a central online hub that connects crime victims with legal assistance on issues related to housing, family, employment, finances, and more. (Continued on Schedule O.)In 2019, 7,560 site users viewed 34,634 pages on the site covering essential areas such as family law, safety and housing matters. More than 1,164 individuals used the site to search for a legal services provider, and more than 2,541 visitors accessed information about free legal documents and court forms available to help victims address their civil legal needs. Empire Justice Center's Long Island, Rochester and Westchester offices also provided civil legal services to 482 crime victims in 2019. 3211336 3187126 Health: Empire Justice provides statewide training and technical assistance to legal services, other community-based organizations and local health center staff on public health programs to help them in determining eligibility for and access to affordable health coverage. As a contractor to provide assistance under health care reform, Empire Justice is part of the Community Health Advocates (CHA) network. In 2019, our staff provided 7 trainings to 327 community-based health advocates presenting topics such as "Medicaid with Medicare: Coordinating Benefits for HIV Positive Dual Eligibles," "Prescription Drugs in Medicaid: Navigating Managed Care Requirements, and "Non-MAGI Medicaid." Our attorneys and paralegals also responded to 66 substantive technical assistance requests from to 50 CHA member agencies assisting them with complicated legal issues and cases. The New York State Office for the Aging contracts with Empire Justice to provide training and assistance on issues involving Medicare Part D.Other/General: These funds were used to fulfill the core mission of Empire Justice Center and to provide services in such areas as Domestic Violence, public benefits and immigration; to provide services on Long Island through the Public Advocacy Center; and to support the Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellowship. In providing these programs and services, in calendar year 2019, the organization offered 107 training events, issuing 414 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits and reaching over 9,330 participants. Training topics included: "Non-binary Identities and the Law," "Representing Victims of Domestic Violence in Family Court," "Returning to Work with HIV: Effect on Government Benefits," "New and Expanded Housing Protections in New York," "Representing Children in Seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)." Empire Justice staff closed 1,945 direct service cases during 2019, directly benefiting 4,654 people. 3211336 3187126 5570383 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 89 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 13 13 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 NY X Kristin Brown 5854544060 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 JoAnn Smith Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Deborah P Amory Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Nancy Engelhardt Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 L Theresa Macon Member (Ending 8/2019) 0.50 X 0 0 0 Raymond Brescia Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 John Bringewatt Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Emily Whalen Secretary 1.00 X X 0 0 0 David H Tennant Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Kristen Clark Treasurer 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Maureen DeRosa Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Daniel Guzman Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Ginette Rows Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Mishka Woodley Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Juan Gabriel Genao Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Anne Erickson President and CEO (Ending 7/2019) 35.00 X 102774 0 16376 Lori K McCormick Chief Financial Officer 35.00 X 91518 0 0 Kristin Brown President and CEO (Beginning 7/2019) 35.00 X 111173 0 11832 305465 0 28208 2 0 0 0 0 205028 28779 94149 805963 1133919 Disability Benefits 541100 1033334 1033334 Foreclosure Prevention 541100 651493 651493 Immigrant Assistance 541100 512692 512692 Health HIV/AIDS 541100 325258 325258 Consumer Housing & CRA 541100 31735 31735 2839832 2839832 5394344 402 402 10201 28779 13295 -3094 -3094 6525571 5394344 0 -2692 X 333673 157668 176005 3552814 3117282 435532 590647 474640 116007 281099 237324 43775 214 214 10525 10525 769555 752996 16559 219839 193598 26241 69519 65455 4064 382810 322812 59998 79156 73521 5635 53656 45247 8409 45167 45167 Leadership Consulting 4468 4468 Litigation Costs 2202 2202 128164 82471 45693 6523508 5570383 953125 0 150 150 60116 525844 1884035 1535640 145755 295000 93041 35228 302160 223235 132581 78925 12574 13916 2328252 2484703 991203 835429 16735 14588 12607 13916 339000 650000 1359545 1513933 X 688036 345982 280671 624788 968707 970770 2328252 2484703 2063 0 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 768792 838908 1077256 762212 1133919 4581087 768792 838908 1077256 762212 1133919 4581087 741558 3839529 8930 2538 3205 947 402 16022 11494 10201 21695 4618804 31361403 0.83130 0.85450 X Schedule A, Part II, Line 10, Explanation of Other Income: Special Events Gross Income RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 4533 33244 37777 6485731 6523508 476175 119044 0 0 526800 517230 515161 476175 2035366 3053049 5877 7662 4597 37777 55913 131700 129308 128790 119044 508842 763263 127 1002 566 4533 6228 0 1 X 69779 42445 27334 58851 56809 2042 173530 123981 49549 78925 Line of Credit 650000 650000 6528665 0 6528665 -3094 -3094 6525571 6526602 3094 3094 6523508 0 6523508 Part IV, Line 2b: Client escrow funds are held in a separate, interest-bearing checking account. Part XI, Line 4b - Other Adjustments: Special Event -3,094. Part XII, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Special Event 3,094. Leadership Event 38980 28779 10201 7501 300 2400 3094 38980 28779 10201 7501 300 2400 3094 13295 -3094 Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 4 Changed director terms from 2 consecutive three-year terms to 3 consecutive three-year terms. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The Form 990 shall be reviewed by the Executive Director and Treasurer and then presented to all Board members either electronically or by paper copy prior to its signing and subsequent filing with the IRS. At the next Board meeting, the Treasurer and tax preparer, if appropriate, will review the Form 990 with the Board. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c On an annual basis, the Audit Committee maintains conflict of interest declarations for all members of the board. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 The Board of Directors acting as a whole will have the responsibility to set CEO compensation and conduct an annual review of CEO performance. It will set compensation in a manner consistent with the requirements of section 4953 of the Internal Revenue Code: including: an independent compensation setting process; which is based on reliable information; with contemporaneous documentation; and that seeks to provide compensation that is reasonable compared to the compensation provided to CEO's providing like services, in similar organizations, under similiar circumstances. In setting CEO compensation the Board will periodically obtain and review information on compensation in comparable organizations. In the intervening years the board may rely on the last previous data collection and trend it forward to the current year. The process for determining compensation of the organization's officers or key employees includes the use of comparability data as well. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 The Form 1023 application which was forwarded to the IRS and Form 990 for the previous three years shall be available for inspection by the public during normal office hours. The names and addresses of contributors on Schedule B shall be redacted in the Form 990's that are made available to the public. Copies will be provided for a fee of $1.00 per page plus postage, if any. Other corporate documents, such as bylaws, minutes, financials and policies and procedures shall be maintained as internal documents and shall not be made available to the general public, unless for a business reason as determined by the Chief Executive Officer and approved by the Board of Directors. Form 990, Part IX, line 11g Subcontracted Legal Services: Program service expenses 698,637. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 698,637. Other: Program service expenses 54,359. Management and general expenses 14,919. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 69,278. Outside Contract Services: Program service expenses 0. Management and general expenses 1,640. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 1,640.