Mercy Haven Receives Grant from NY Bar Foundation for Legal Advocacy Program
(l-r) John Castellano, MAP’s Director and Attorney-in-Charge; Emily Franchina, representing NY Bar Foundation; and Sister Pat Griffith, Mercy Haven’s Executive Director
NEWS: On Monday, April 28, Mercy Haven received a $5,000 grant from the New York Bar Foundation for the Mercy Advocacy Program (MAP). MAP provides free legal representation to low-income individuals on their civil legal emergencies.
DESCRIPTION: On Monday, April 28, Mercy Haven, Inc. was presented a $5,000 grant from the NY Bar Foundation. The grant was presented by Emily Franchina, partner at Franchina & Giordano, PC in Garden City and board member at the NY Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the NY State Bar Association. “Our Board is committed to increasing access to justice for New Yorkers, particularly vulnerable people who might otherwise be unrepresented. This is exactly the population served by Mercy Haven and MAP and we are proud to support the work they are doing,” Franchina said.
Mercy Haven’s Executive Director, Sister Pat Griffith, and John Castellano, Director and Attorney-in-Charge of MAP, expressed their appreciation for the Foundation’s support as they accepted the gift. “MAP represents clients whose access to housing, basic nutrition and health care are being threatened and works for systemic change when injustice in these systems of care are revealed,” explained Castellano. “We’re grateful for the support of the NY Bar Foundation for this critical work on behalf of those living with mental illness and living in poverty.”
MAP has opened more than 2,400 cases since its inception at Mercy Haven in 1997 and served as co-counsel in the successful 2008 class-action suit, Graves v Doar. This case preserved $150 million per year in funding for more than 112,000 food stamp recipients across New York State. “We’re fortunate to have an attorney like John Castellano who possesses the breadth of knowledge on legal issues that impact low-income people,” said Sister Pat. “The support of the NY Bar Foundation helps us continue MAP and its critical work.”
