ALTAMONT — Legal referrals will soon be added to the services offered by the Community Caregivers.

The local not-for-profit agency recently received a $2,000 grant from the New York Bar Foundation to create a system that would provide legal help to area senior citizens.
"Often, our clients may run into a legal situation," said Diane Cameron, executive director of Community Caregivers. "So we want to refer them to free or low-cost legal services."

The organization, which usually receives about a dozen grants a year, applied for the Bar Foundation grant at the beginning of the summer, Cameron said. She added that $2,000 is a typical amount for a first-time grant and the Caregivers will probably apply again next year.

Being faced with legal issues can be intimidating for people who aren’t versed in the law, she said, so this grant will help Caregivers point elderly clients towards organizations that provide legal advice or representation and put together a list of lawyers who might take pro bono cases.

— Saranac Hale Spencer