Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York receives technology grant for online portal

UTICA, N.Y. — The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has awarded the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York (LASMNY) a $270,600 Technology Initiative Grant to develop an online intake portal for eviction-defense referrals.

The portal will accept referrals between six New York legal-aid providers and aims to direct applicants to the appropriate provider and prioritize urgent cases to ensure timely assistance.

It will integrate with LegalServer tools and other websites to facilitate access. Appointment scheduling, automated triage, and self-help resources will also be included. The goal is to prevent applicants from slipping through the cracks and enabling better coordination of eviction-defense services statewide, the LSC says.

Established in 2000, the Technology Initiative Grant program distributes grants annually to legal-services providers across the country. This year, the LSC awarded 33 grants, totaling $5.1 million to 29 different organizations.

“Utilizing technology to create innovative tools empowers legal-aid organizations to increase their capacity to provide crucial resources to low-income Americans,” LSC President Ron Flagg said in a press release. “The Technology Initiative Grants support projects that improve the delivery of legal services and information to people who need help navigating civil legal problems like housing, consumer, and family issues.”

LASMNY is a not-for-profit law office that provides free counsel, advice, and legal representation in civil matters across 13 counties in central New York. Headquartered in Utica, it has additional offices in Syracuse, Binghamton, Watertown, Oswego, Oneonta, Cooperstown, and an agricultural-law project location in New Paltz.