LSHV receives $5,000 grant from Sterling National Bank

WHITE PLAINS, NY... Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), the only provider of comprehensive civil legal services to those that cannot afford an attorney in the seven counties of the lower and mid-Hudson Valley, was awarded a $5,000 grant from Sterling National Bank in support of our homelessness prevention services.

The need for housing legal services in the Hudson Valley is clear. Almost 550,000 of the population falls below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines ($51,500 for a family of four in 2019) and qualifies for LSHV’s services. A June 21, 2017 “LoHud” article claimed that student homelessness has grown 48% over the past six years in Westchester. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition 2017 Out of Reach Report, Westchester County was the second most expensive HUD Metro Fair Market Rent Area (HMFA) in the state, with a housing wage of $32.81/hour needed to afford a 2-bedroom apartment. The Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown HMFA was fourth most expensive, with a housing wage of $25.40. In 2018, LSHV attorneys handled 7,083 housing cases, which impacted 17,777 household members throughout our service area.

Speaking of the grant, LSHV CEO, Barbara Finkelstein, said, "It is thanks to the support of our partners that we are able to provide critical legal services that keep families in their homes. We are grateful to Sterling National Bank for this generous grant in support of our services."

LSHV is the only provider of free, comprehensive civil (non-criminal) legal services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families who cannot afford an attorney when their basic human needs are at stake. This includes urgent legal needs such as: domestic violence (orders of protection, child custody, etc.), housing emergencies (eviction and foreclosure prevention), healthcare, children's law and advocacy, disability and benefits, elder law, consumer fraud and more. Founded more than 50 years ago, LSHV serves the seven counties of the lower and mid-Hudson Valley (Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan), maintaining a staff of 145 individuals – including 90 attorneys and 30 paralegals – working across ten offices throughout its service area. For more information, visit www.lshv.org.

Photo (L-R): LSHV's Tom Gabriel and Barbara Finkelstein with Luis Rivera, Vice President and Associate Managing Director, Sterling National Bank