Submitted Photos At left, Assemblyman Andy Goodell; Representative for Congressman Tom Reed, 23rd District; Jacqueline Chiarot, chief executive officer; Karen Nicolson, Center for Elder Law & Justice staff paralegal; and Brenda Symans, Center For Elder Law & Justice. At right, Rebecca Yanus, City of Dunkirk director of planning and Development; Karen Nicolson, chief executive officer, Center for Elder Law & Justice; and city of Dunkirk Mayor, Willie Rosas.

Center for Elder Law & Justice, a Western New York legal services agency, has opened a satellite office in Chautauqua County. CELJ provides free legal assistance to seniors in eight Western New York counties, but their main office is located in Buffalo, New York. In an effort to make their services more accessible to Chautauqua County residents, CELJ opened a satellite office in Dunkirk in May. Karen Nicolson, CEO of Center for Elder Law & Justice; Willie Rosas, mayor of Dunkirk; Assemblymember Andrew Goodell; and a representative from Congressman Tom Reed’s office attended the launch of the new office.

There is a great need for civil legal representation across New York state. The New York State Court System’s Permanent Commission on Access to Justice issued a 2016 report, stating that while there have been great advances in providing attorneys to those who need them, only 31 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income New Yorkers are currently being met. Legal services agencies such as CELJ are often developing new models and means of providing help to low-income and vulnerable populations, in an effort to meet the demand for their services. CELJ hopes that the new satellite office in Dunkirk will provide older Chautauqua County residents with much-needed resources and assistance.

CELJ Paralegal Brenda Symans will be staffing the Dunkirk office. As a resident of Chautauqua County, Symans has been advocating for bringing CELJ’s services to seniors in her home county. She, along with the larger staff located in CELJ’s main office, will be providing representation in a number of legal matters including those involving health care advocacy, foreclosure prevention, landlord-tenant issues, consumer protection, Social Security and benefits, elder abuse prevention and more.

“We are happy to offer Chautauqua County seniors a convenient and safe place to access free legal assistance,” Nicolson said. “The legal services that we provide protect the essentials of life for our clients, such as housing, health care, income, and protection from abuse. We thank the existing community advocates in the county for welcoming us and providing referrals for people who need help.”

Congressman Tom Reed of New York’s 23rd District said, “We all care about providing these valuable services to our seniors who in many cases can’t afford such necessities. I am happy to see the organization expand to Chautauqua County to fill this void.”

“The city of Dunkirk is excited to welcome Center for Elder Law & Justice to our community. The city has a growing elderly population in need of new services such as legal advice and representation. I would encourage our elderly population to utilize their free legal assistance. The city continues to remain committed to helping non-profit and new businesses located in the City of Dunkirk,” Rosas said.

Goodell expressed his strong support and appreciation for the opening of the new office, and said, “The Center for Elder Law and Justice provides extremely important free legal services for elderly residents facing issues with health care issues involving Medicaid and Medicare, private insurance, EPIC, and health care proxies. It also helps people over the age of 60 with housing issues and landlord tenant issues, consumer protection issues, scam prevention, identity theft, debt maters, foreclosure prevention, social security and pension issues, and other issues involving seniors. With a talented and experienced group of attorneys and support staff, the Center for Elder Law & Justice can really help local residents with these common legal issues.”

Chautauqua County residents can visit the office at 314 Central Ave., Suite 201 in Dunkirk. The office has walk in hours from 9 to 11 a.m., and additional hours are available by appointment. Seniors are encouraged to call the office at 261-3275 to see if they qualify for assistance or to make an appointment. For more information about Center for Elder Law & Justice or to reach out to the office online, visit their website at www.elderjusticeny.org.