Donate Now
The demand for free legal services in civil (non-criminal) cases is overwhelming.
While our United States Constitution gives low-income people the right to free legal representation in criminal cases, it does not provide that same right in civil cases. Every day, low-income people across America are left on their own to deal with critical civil legal problems, which all too often threaten basic needs for food, shelter, medical care, safety, family stability and human dignity.
Civil legal services programs were created to try to fill this gap. However, there has never been enough funding to meet the need, and deep cuts in federal and state funding since 1995 have taken even more of a toll. Like most other civil legal services programs nationwide and across New York State, we are currently able to serve only about 20% of those who need our help. Increasingly, we must rely on funding from non-governmental sources just to maintain current staffing levels.
How Do I Donate?
More than ever, your donation is needed to ensure that low-income people in upstate New York are not denied equal justice under the law.
To donate, mail your check, payable to the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc., to:
Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc.
Administrative Offices
255 Genesee Street, 2nd Floor
Utica, New York 13501
Your donation is tax deductible. If you have any questions, contact Maria Gregorka, Executive Assistant, at (315) 793-7057.
How Will My Donation Help?
Your donation to the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York:
obtains federal disability benefits for clients on welfare, saving county taxpayers over $2,000,000 per year by removing clients from the county welfare rolls and bringing federal Medicare/Medicaid dollars into the area
helps victims of family violence obtain orders of protection and temporary custody/support orders, preventing serious injury or death of abused women and their children
prevents numerous low-income people from becoming homeless each year, through representation in foreclosures and in eviction court
reduces ongoing strain on local emergency resources such as food banks and shelters, by obtaining and preserving federal food stamp benefits, state unemployment insurance benefits and other entitlements for low-income people
helps low-income people become self-sufficient, by providing financial counseling and removing barriers to successful employment in the community