2018-11-02T14:13:30-05:00 2017-12-31 271895149 Heveron & Company CPAs PLLC 260 Plymouth Avenue South Rochester NY 14608 990 2017-01-01 161487925 Empire Justice Center EMPI 5854544060 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 Anne Erickson President and CEO 5854544060 2018-10-19 1 Brenda Smith P00617844 5852322956 2018-10-19 24.213.221.209 2018-10-19 07:44:04 ED P 3FC2AC741DD80864B6B29AAF924A7E171A12EEEE 0FB92209F2B51FB21E33F3717ED9D7FFB37ECAA2 2017 2018-06-14 16:35:46Z Anne Erickson 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 7512840 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. 12 12 94 350 0 0 838908 1077256 6127511 6415059 -5238 3396 0 0 6961181 7495711 0 0 0 0 5526182 5459431 0 0 0 2009818 1885171 7536000 7344602 -574819 151109 2075576 2243075 998729 949964 1076847 1293111 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 1119629 1079629 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 2017, Empire Justice administered a sub-contract with LawNY to provide these regional services. In 2017, 343 cases were closed in the region, generating approximately $559,178 in interim assistance to clients and an additional $2,524,878 in retroactive benefits. In 2017, the Western New York Disability Advocacy Program (DAP) won 75% of cases. Empire Justice also contracts with the state under DAP to provide training, support and technical assistance to local grantees throughout the state. 1529601 1459601 Foreclosure Prevention: In 2017, 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 2017 assistance was provided to 140 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. 656654 289645 Consumer, Housing and Community Reinvestment (CRA): To provide legal assistance, training, support and advocacy in areas of consumer law, bankruptcy, fair housing, and community reinvestment. Funded through a variety of grants and contracts, including the City of Rochester for Community Reinvestment Act for work in the Greater Rochester area. 2952552 3586184 Crime Victims: Empire Justice partners with the New York State Office of Victim Services, 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 2017, the partners began developing content and the technology for the key components of online resources, namely the triage tool, the help directory, self-help resources, and the advocate gateway. Empire Justice Center's Westchester offices also provide civil legal services to victims of crime, serving 299 crime victims in 2017.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 2017, our staff provided 14 trainings to 821 community based health advocates presenting topics such as "Mandatory Managed Long Term Care," "Health Care Reform, and "Intro to health Insurance for New Advocates." Our attorneys and paralegals also provided substantive technical assistance to 29 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 2017, the organization offered 182 training events, issuing 986 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits and reaching over 8,358 participants. Training topics included: "Returning to Work with HIV: Effect on Government Benefits," "Pro Bono Name Changes for Transgender Clients," "Translated Orders of Protection and Remote Access to Family Court," "Immigrant Access to Benefits," "Making the Most of Technical Defenses in Residential Foreclosure Cases." The Empire Justice website, with a vast array of legal resources, experienced 134,557 unique visitors who viewed 7,671,706 pages of material and downloaded 9,679 resources during 195,632 visits. Empire Justice staff closed 2,221 direct service cases during 2017, directly benefiting 4,108 people. 2952552 3586184 6258436 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 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 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17 0 1 94 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 X 12 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 NY X Lori K McCormick 5854544060 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 JoAnn Smith Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Michael T Harren Treasurer 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Deborah P Amory Secretary 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Odette Belton Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Nancy Engelhardt Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 L Theresa Macon Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Raymond Brescia Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Tehresa Coles Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 Emily E Whalen Member 0.50 X 0 0 0 David H Tennant Member (Beginning 05/2017) 0.50 X 0 0 0 Kristen Clark Member (Beginning 08/2017) 0.50 X 0 0 0 Maureen DeRosa Member (Beginning 08/2017) 0.50 X 0 0 0 Anne Erickson President and CEO 35.00 X 136845 0 12981 Lori K McCormick Chief Financial Officer 35.00 X 88078 0 1541 Bryan Hetherington Chief Counsel 35.00 X 132123 0 12377 357046 0 26899 2 0 0 0 Legal Assistance of Western New York One West Main Street Suite 400 Rochester NY 14614 Legal Services 314397 NeighborWorks America 1325 G Street NW Suite 800 Washington DC 20005 Housing Counseling Training 245000 Blackbaud PO Box 930256 Atlanta GA 31193 Luminate Usage/Maintance 107697 The Legal Aid Society of Rochester One West Main Street Suite 800 Rochester NY 14614 Legal Services 100113 4 190000 122769 764487 5666 1077256 Foreclosure Prevention 541100 1459601 1459601 Disability Benefits 541100 1079629 1079629 Attorney Fees 541100 533156 533156 Health HIV/AIDS 541100 368949 368949 Immigrant Assistance 541100 292092 292092 2681632 2681632 6415059 3205 3205 17320 17129 191 191 191 7495711 6415059 0 3396 X 243202 76791 166411 4142623 3584412 558211 98838 85357 13481 654484 551609 102875 320284 267872 52412 3800 3800 9550 9550 900146 890779 9367 213441 186812 26629 123849 91502 32347 365489 305680 59809 84802 82613 2189 12032 10063 1969 40832 40832 Leadership Consulting 20000 20000 Litigation Costs 6426 6426 104804 77688 27116 7344602 6258436 1086166 0 150 150 58056 160668 1703540 1616811 135631 185128 93049 105393 287466 120840 63967 166626 17125 4058 8299 2075576 2243075 617564 941632 15074 4091 8332 362000 998729 949964 X 785287 941611 291560 351500 1076847 1293111 2075576 2243075 151109 65155 0 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 762885 786959 768792 838908 1077256 4234800 762885 786959 768792 838908 1077256 4234800 726940 3507860 5810 11200 8930 2538 3205 31683 4266483 31745114 0.82220 0.81210 X 1002 6660 7662 7336940 7344602 517230 129308 0 0 493238 542907 526800 517230 2080175 3120263 14053 11641 5877 7662 39233 123310 135727 131700 129308 520045 780068 335 1594 127 1002 3058 0 1 X 69779 29958 39821 58851 46732 12119 158836 44150 114686 166626 7495711 0 7495711 0 7495711 7344602 0 7344602 0 7344602 Part IV, Line 2b: Client escrow funds are held in a separate, interest-bearing checking account. 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 591,335. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 591,335. Other: Program service expenses 29,395. Management and general expenses 9,367. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 38,762. Housing Counseling Training: Program service expenses 270,049. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 270,049.