NORTHAMPTON — With a goal of $36,000, Community Legal Aid is kicking off its annual Hampshire County Access to Justice Campaign, which seeks to bring legal help to residents facing a variety of civil legal problems.

“Every day, we see families in poverty at risk of losing their homes, victims of violence seeking protection orders, and parents fighting for custody of their kids, all without a lawyer,” campaign co-chair Michelle Kunitz said in a statement.

“Those of us who are lawyers know firsthand the value and necessity of quality legal representation to ensure equitable access to justice.”

Money raised will go toward paying staff salaries, Managing Attorney Jennifer Dieringer said. The Hampshire County campaign will be conducted largely via word of mouth, she said, with team members reaching out to private attorneys to solicit donations.

Community Legal Aid has run the fundraising campaign for approximately 15 years, Dieringer said. The organization also receives funds through state grants and federal aid.

Last year, the Hampshire County Access to Justice Campaign raised over $35,000.

The campaign “embodies the principle that ‘justice for all’ applies to everyone, not just those who can afford it,” Kunitz stated.

Community Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to the low-income and elderly residents of the five counties of western and central Massachusetts (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester), and maintains offices in Worcester, Fitchburg, Springfield, Northampton, and Pittsfield.

The organization is now in the process of opening a full-time office in Franklin County, which it hasn’t had in many years, Dieringer said.

“We’re really excited,” she said. “We’re looking at a new space in downtown Greenfield.”

She noted that the change would also allow the Northampton office, which has been handling cases from Franklin County, to focus more on Hampshire County.

The Franklin County campaign will celebrate its kickoff with a lunch at Hope & Olive in Greenfield, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m., with special guest Sen. Jo Comerford.

Community Legal Aid reports that its staff of attorneys and paralegals helped more than 400 elderly and low-income clients in Hampshire County last year, aiding an estimated 1,000 residents trying to avoid homelessness, seeking safety from violence, and others fighting for life’s necessities.

Through its subsidiary, the Central West Justice Center, the organization also helps refugees seeking humanitarian immigration relief.

Anyone who wishes to support the work of Community Legal Aid can find more information or make a donation at www.communitylegal.org.

James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.