Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), a nonprofit organization, bills itself as “the only provider of comprehensive civil legal services to all seven counties of the Hudson Valley: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan.”
LSHV”™s mission is to provide free legal assistance to low-income individuals. It does not charge clients for services being provided.
A major part of what LSHV does is help people stay in their homes through efforts made by its housing unit. LSHV specializes in eviction prevention, other landlord or tenant issues, foreclosure and public housing matters. Housing-related issues made up 47% of the cases handled by LSHV in 2021. Many people call in need of assistance due to issues concerning rent or mortgage payments. They also turn to LSHV when there are unforeseen circumstances like a medical emergency or unemployment, which ultimately influence living situations. Some clients first contact the agency when they”™re gripped by the fear of eviction or foreclosure.
Many of LSHV”™s cases are businesses-related in the sense that they involve people who lost their jobs.
LSVH describes the cases of Isa and Abigail as two of its success stories.
In the case of Isa, both she and her son were laid off from their jobs just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. For the first time in both of their adult lives, they weren”™t working and as a result rent had become an issue. With two young children and Isa”™s son”™s wife recovering from cancer at home, the family felt helpless. Isa was denied rent assistance and couldn”™t help but imagine the worst: homelessness. Instead of waiting for fate to take its toll, she reached out to LSHV. According to LSHV, Isa described her attorney as being professional, loyal, empathetic and exactly what she needed. The attorney worked with the landlord to reach a solution that satisfied both the landlord and Isa. LSHV gave her the hope and personalized support she needed to get through the crisis.
In the case of Abigail, due to an injury she was unable to work and the lack of income forced her to fall far behind on rent. Her attorney, Patience Hughes, quickly negotiated a settlement with Abigail”™s landlord. Then, the pandemic hit and Abigail”™s employment struggles worsened as Covid cases spiked, making her rent seemingly impossible to pay and eviction more of a threat than ever despite government regulations protecting tenants during the pandemic. Attorney Hughes was determined to preserve her client”™s housing and further assisted Abigail in applying for a Helping Hands grant. Abigail was soon approved for the grant money and the landlord happily accepted the payment. The threat of eviction was eliminated with the help of LSHV.
Lara Kasper-Buckareff, COO of LSHV, testified at a State Senate hearing a couple of months ago about another part of the organization”™s activities: helping victims of domestic violence.
“Civil legal services are the last line of defense for victims of domestic violence seeking safety and stability, families facing eviction or foreclosure, elderly victims of financial abuse seeking restitution and parents seeking health care for their children,” Kasper-Buckareff said. “Redress, protection, security and stability is often available ”” only if one can navigate daunting legal systems against overwhelming odds. Few of us would attempt to resolve legal issues that put the roof over our head, our safety or our children”™s health at risk without the benefit of counsel and yet every day in the Hudson Valley, thousands of poor and low-income families are doing just that.”
Kaster-Buckareff provided an example of the extent of the problem by noting that in Ulster County 25% of the residents, or 43,434 people, were eligible for LSHV”™s assistance. In 2021, LSHV handled 11,984 cases, which impacted a total of 27,376 household members.
She pointed out that LSHV operates the Veterans and Military Families Advocacy Project in Orange County.
“Last year, through an allocation of $200,000, this program served 872 veteran and military families on issues ranging from eviction prevention, domestic violence to assistance with health benefits,” Kaster-Buckareff said.
One of the other activities by LSHV to help clients is in representing them at the appeal stages of the Social Security disability determination process. Clients receive help from the organization throughout the administrative steps in the appeals process, which includes asking for reconsideration of their case, a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, and Appeals Council review.
Commentary by Abigail Luca with contributions from Peter katz
