Eric Dinnocenzo’s letter to the editor on Oct. 3 contained information about the Housing Court Volunteer Lawyer for the Day (“VLFD”) Program which may create misapprehensions about the program. I write to correct the record.
VLFD is a court-sponsored program that recruits, trains and supervises volunteer attorneys to provide free legal representation to tenants facing possible eviction in Housing Court for nonpayment of rent. The program accepts only cases with relatively straightforward issues. Cases that are more complex may be referred to a Legal Services provider. The cases handled by the VLFD program are typically those that Legal Services providers are unable to accept due to heavy caseloads or eligibility criteria.
