CANTON -- The Canton-based Legal Aid Society of Northeast New York will share in an $11.5 million grant to help poor families avoid foreclosure on their homes.

The funding will support the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), a network of nearly 90 housing counseling and legal services agencies that provide free, high-quality assistance to at-risk families across New York to help them avoid foreclosure. A report released this summer by the Attorney General’s office claims the program has helped more than 50,000 New York families. Attorney General Eric Schneidermann’s Office says the AG has committed $100 million to support HOPP from the settlements that his office negotiated with the nation’s largest banks following the collapse of the housing market.

“I have said since the day I took office that no one should ever lose their home because they didn’t have access to a lawyer,” Schneidermann said. “My office is dedicated to using all the tools at our disposal to make sure mortgage servicers are held accountable in providing relief to New York families who continue to weather the foreclosure crisis.”

The $11.5 million in funding comes on the heels of an additional $10.1 million investment for housing counseling agencies across New York state that was awarded earlier this year, funded by settlements the Attorney General reached with Bank of America and Citibank in 2014. Those grants are going to 56 housing counseling agencies who are part of the HOPP network, Schneidermann said.

In addition to HOPP funding, Schneidermann’s office says the Attorney General has established systems designed to hold mortgage servicers accountable and ensure New York homeowners are getting the relief to which they are entitled.