90 Maple Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601 • Tel. (914) 949-1305 • www.lshv.org

OFFICES: White Plains • Mount Vernon • Yonkers • Peekskill• Newburgh • Kingston • Poughkeepsie • Spring Valley

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2016

For more information, contact: Tom Gabriel, Chief Development Officer

914-949-1305 ext. 160 or

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley receives two-year $225,000 grant

from The Dyson Foundation

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 recently awarded a two-year, $225,000 grant for the general support of the organization’s work in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties.

Dyson Foundation President & CEO, Andrea L. Reynolds, said of their recent commitment to LSHV, “The Dyson Foundation’s board is pleased to continue its support of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley whose work is a critical part of the region’s social safety net. The Foundation has funded Legal Services for more than 10 years because of the quality of their services and the dedication of the organization’s staff and board to its mission.”

“We are truly honored to partner with our friends at The Dyson Foundation to assist individuals and families in the mid-Hudson Valley facing crisis affecting their basic needs,” said LSHV’s Chief Development Officer, Tom Gabriel. “Last year, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley handled more than 5,300 cases impacting almost 10,500 household members in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, and we would not be able to continue helping our neighbors without The Dyson Foundation’s support.”

The Dyson Foundation was established in 1957 by Charles H. and Margaret M. Dyson and is committed to improving people's lives through grant funding, promoting philanthropy, and strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations. In 2015, the Foundation awarded more than $16 million in grants nationally, with a special interest in New York's Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam,and Ulster counties – areas the Foundation calls “home.”

The Dyson Foundation’s commitment over the next two years will enable LSHV’s attorneys to assist poor, low-income, disabled and/or vulnerable individuals and families in hearings, negotiations and court proceedings across a wide range of urgent legal needs including: children’s law and advocacy, elder law, domestic violence, disability law (physical, mental and developmental disabilities), housing emergencies (eviction and foreclosure prevention), healthcare, consumer fraud and more.

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A large number of lower and middle class individuals and families are unable to afford the services of an attorney in civil (non-criminal) cases. It is estimated that nationally, 1 in 5 Americans are eligible for free legal services. In the mid-Hudson Valley, that translates to almost 210,000 people. When crisis strikes and these individuals and families are faced with a legal issue due to the loss of a job, diagnosis of an illness, domestic violence, home foreclosure and so much more, they do not have the resources to secure legal advice and representation.

According to Barbara Finkelstein, LSHV’s CEO, “Justice for All is a promise given to all Americans, but it often eludes those who can’t afford an attorney. You see, unfortunately, there is no right to counsel in civil matters in the U.S. and in more than 70% of civil cases today, people who can’t afford legal representation end up going to court alone – and many lose everything.” The statistics support this position. As outlined in the study “Connecting Self-Representation to Civil Gideon” by Russell Engler, which highlighted dozens of studies throughout the country, the statistics regarding success rates in pro se (self-representation) cases are startling. In Domestic Violence cases, women with an attorney were able to secure an order of protection in 83% of the cases, as compared to 32% of the women without an attorney. Data from Social Security disability appeals, unemployment appeals, immigration appeals, and other administrative appeals, show that the success rate is as much as 50% greater when the claimant is represented by a legal services attorney. And in Housing Court, defendants with an attorney are twice as likely to win their cases as opposed to those without an attorney.

More than 40 staff including attorneys are based out of LSHV’s offices in Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and Kingston, to enable the organization to serve the mid-Hudson Valley more efficiently. For more information, or to inquiry about our services, call 1-877-LSHV-LAW.

About Legal Services of the Hudson Valley

The mission of LSHV is to provide free, high-quality counsel in civil matters where basic human needs are at stake for poor and low-income individuals and families who cannot afford an attorney. With the gap separating those who can and cannot afford legal representation widening each day, we work to engage as many allies as possible in this effort. LSHV is the only provider of comprehensive civil legal services to all seven counties of the lower Hudson Valley (Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan). The work we do each day provides justice to thousands of our neighbors who have nowhere else to turn. Our funding empowers us to: Protect people from domestic violence; Defend seniors against abuse; Serve veterans on the home front; Support the rights of the disabled; Keep families in their homes.

Pictured (L-R): Cecilia Stancell, Director of Programs at The Dyson Foundation, Barbara Finkelstein, CEO of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, and Jennifer Drake, Senior Program Officer at The Dyson Foundation.

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