Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Loss in Funding

The director of the Legal Aid Society of Columbus said that lack of money is threatening legal services for the poor in 36 Ohio counties, including Franklin.

With a $1 million loss in funding for the Columbus nonprofit organization during the past year, more staff layoffs are looming.

"It's a grim situation and a big challenge, to have that kind of funding gap in any agency. Most of our costs are personnel, so cutting costs will mean cutting services."

Seven Legal Aid lawyers in Columbus lost their jobs.

Legal-aid lawyers handle such things as landlord-tenant disputes and family-court cases. They advise people who are victims of domestic violence and those facing foreclosure or the loss of benefits from a federal agency, such as Medicaid or Medicare.

Full Article and Source:
Ohio's legal services for poor left destitute themselves by downturn

2 comments:

  1. This is an important issue -- legal aid lawyers are needed for those who can't afford the high cost of litigation.

    And usually, those type lawyers have more heart.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, we love sharks with hearts! I wish them well.

    ReplyDelete