At Project Guardianship, they believe that guardianship should function as a tool of last resort, as the law specifies. Unfortunately, due to gaps in the social safety net and elder and disability services in particular, many New Yorkers enter guardianship arrangements unnecessarily or prematurely. Project Guardianship's Helpline, which launched in 2023 in an effort to promote less-restrictive alternatives to guardianship, is a free, multilingual resource for anyone with questions about Article 81 guardianship and its alternatives.
Project Guardianship is a NYC-based nonprofit organization working to improve adult guardianship across the state. For the past 20 years, we have served as a court-appointed guardian for older adults and people with disabilities who need a surrogate decision-maker but have no one in their lives to fill the role and no funds to pay for a private guardian. Our program focuses on keeping people in their homes and communities as they age, maximizing their independence, and centering their values and wishes in every decision.
