WINCHESTER — Blue Ridge Legal Services Inc., a nonprofit legal-aid organization that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of the Shenandoah and Roanoke valleys, has received a $34,997 federal Technology Initiative Grant.
The grant was issued by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) of Washington, D.C., a nonprofit created in 1974 by an act of the United States Congress to fund groups that provide civil legal aid for low-income individuals across the country. According to the corporation’s website, LSC-funded initiatives are designed to help people involved in civil proceedings such as lawsuits, evictions and domestic disputes who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.
LSC’s Technology Initiative Grants were launched in 2000 to support legal-aid organizations in their efforts to implement technologies that improve efficiency and provide greater access to high-quality legal assistance.
According to an LSC media release, Blue Ridge Legal Services, which has offices in Winchester, Harrisonburg, Lexington and Roanoke, was one of 29 recipients of this year’s grants totaling more than $4 million.
Blue Ridge plans to use its nearly $35,000 grant to conduct a full technology assessment and security audit to identify opportunities for improvements, the release states.
“I know Blue Ridge Legal Services does great work in our communities and this grant will provide the resources needed to continue helping some of our most in-need Virginians,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said in the release.
“Blue Ridge Legal Services is an invaluable partner to my team in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District because we know we can always rely on their professionalism, care and, most importantly, commitment to justice for any constituent that we send their way,” U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, added in the release. “With this federal funding, they’ll be able to do a full assessment of their technology services with the goal of expanding their reach to help even more people in our community in a timely and efficient manner.”
To learn more about Blue Ridge Legal Services, visit brls.org.