LSHV awarded grant by the WWBAF

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), the only provider of comprehensive civil legal services to those that cannot afford it in the seven counties of the lower and mid-Hudson Valley, was awarded a $1,200 grant by the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation, Inc. The grant will support LSHV’s Housing Stability Program for Families in Westchester.

The need for housing legal services in Westchester County is clear. 22% of Westchester’s population falls below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines 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. Only Nassau-Suffolk HMFA was more expensive, and New York HMFA was third. In 2017, LSHV attorneys handled 3,227 housing cases for residents of Westchester County, which impacted almost 7,750 household members.

LSHV’s CEO, Barbara Finkelstein, said “We are so grateful to the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation for their continued support of our services. This grant will truly make a difference in the lives of those who are facing homelessness in Westchester and can’t afford an attorney to fight for their rights.”

About the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation: The Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, was established to foster a better understanding of the law, the legal profession, and the role of women in society and the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal treatment of all people in society -- including in the workplace, schools and the courts; and to eliminate gender bias.

The Foundation also focuses on assisting women to overcome artificial barriers to advancement in the professions, business and government and supporting organizations which provide legal services to women who are disadvantaged -- not only by gender bias, but also by racial and ethnic discrimination and by their economic status.

For more information, visit: wwbany.org/Foundation

About LSHV: Founded in 1967, LSHV is the only provider in the Hudson Valley of free, comprehensive, legal services in civil matters (noncriminal) for 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. In pursuit of this mission, LSHV maintains a staff of 136 individuals, including 82 attorneys and 27 paralegals working across nine offices throughout our service area.

For more information about Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, to volunteer, or contribute, please visit www.lshv.org, or contact Tom Gabriel, Chief Development Officer, at 914-949-1305 ext 160.

Photo (L-R): Kristen Motel, Cuddy & Feder LLP; Carla Glassman, Glassman & Brown, LLP; Susan Brown, Glassman & Brown, LLP; Tom Gabriel, LSHV's Chief Development Officer; Barbara Finkelstein, LSHV's CEO; Kim Berg, Gould & Berg, LLP; Linda Markowitz, Rosenthal & Markowitz, LLP; and Sherry Bishko, Rosenthal & Markowitz, LLP.