Community Development and Economic Justice Project

LawNY’s® Community Development and Economic Justice Project (CDP) can provide free legal assistance and strategic support to eligible community-based organizations and coalitions. CDP is focused on alleviating the root causes of poverty by giving community members legal support to make the changes that they want to see in their communities. We support our clients through litigation, advocacy, transactional legal assistance, and community education, using a community lawyering model. Our work focuses primarily on housing opportunity, quality, and affordability; transportation equity; economic opportunity; and community economic development.  

The project covers Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Livingston, Tompkins, Tioga, Allegany, Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. 

Who We Serve: 

Nonprofits

Community groups/citizens' groups/community coalitions

Tenants' associations/neighborhood associations

Small businesses 

Types of Services: 

  • Intakes and consultations
  • Trainings for small businesses, nonprofits, and public
  • Legal information materials
  • Advise and represent: 

            - groups on nonprofit formation, governance, and compliance issues

            - groups through strategic consultations, advocacy, and litigation

            - coalitions in negotiating community benefits agreements 

Contact Us:

If you or or community group or nonprofit needs assistance, or you would like to learn more about the project, please contact us.

Tollfree Phone: 1-833-244-8066

Email: communitydevelopment@lawny.org

 

More About Community Lawyering:

 

Articles You May Be Interested In:

Supporting Community-Driven Solutions - LawNY’s Community Development & Economic Justice Project

An Analysis of the New Federal Tax Law on Charitable Nonprofit Corporations

Community Benefits Agreements- Six Essential Questions and Answers

 

Last updated on .

Table of Contents

    NEWS

    News & publications

    More News

    March 12, 2026

    Managing Your Utility Costs

    Para ver este artículo en español por favor visite aquí.If you’re struggling to…

    Read More about Managing Your Utility Costs

    January 29, 2026

    January 2026 Poverty Awareness Month

    The end of January marks the end of Poverty Awareness Month. To recognize this…

    Read More about January 2026 Poverty Awareness Month

    October 31, 2025

    SNAP Benefit Update as of October 31, 2025

    SNAP benefits for November 2025 may be delayed.The New York State Office of…

    Read More about SNAP Benefit Update as of October 31, 2025

    Our Partners

    We proudly receive support from the following (to read a full list of our supporters, visit the "Who We Are" tab above):