Legal Aid renews fight against COVID-19 in new year
Legal Aid has seen its requests for help rise in the past several months, specifically in unemployment claims and eviction defense. It’s also been part of a collaborative community response to provide rental and utility assistance and has helped homeowners facing foreclosure.
As everyone wrapped up 2020, Community Legal Aid has its sights set on the new year.
“Last year was a tough year for social-service agencies,” said Dionne Dowdy, president of Legal Aid Board of Trustees, “from the shift in services to response to the pandemic, to the growing number of people in poverty, to the financial pressures we’re facing as a result of COVID-19. While last year was vitally important in supporting our community, we know this year is going to be just as critical.”
Legal Aid has seen its requests for help rise in the past several months, specifically in unemployment claims and eviction defense. It’s also been part of a collaborative community response to provide rental and utility assistance and has helped homeowners facing foreclosure.
The nonprofit also has maintained its Legal Assistance to Victims project, which helps victims of violence obtain protection and freedom from their abusers, since the beginning of the public health crisis.
“When the state closed down earlier this year and with so many facets of our economy still closed or suffering, it made an already bad situation even worse for people living in poverty,” executive director Steven McGarrity said. “We had clients who had exhausted their savings, who were living paycheck to paycheck or who were in even worse situations. And unfortunately, we don’t expect that trend to let up in the coming months.”
One way Legal Aid is getting set for 2021 is through its new board-adopted strategic priorities for COVID-19 — a set of criteria advocates use to determine how to prioritize cases. These priorities include preventing evictions and keeping families housed, removing barriers to employment, building financial assets for individuals and families, providing debt relief, protecting victims of violence, and mitigating education disparities for children in poverty.
Before the pandemic Legal Aid had to turn away two out of every three applicants because of lack of resources. Since the pandemic this gap is only expected to widen, as the poverty population grows and the organization is facing added financial strains.
A significant portion of the organization’s funding comes from the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, whose revenue is tied directly to interest rates.
“There’s no doubt that this year is going to be challenging,” Dowdy said. “But we know our community needs Legal Aid now more than ever, and we’re committed to seeing this through.”
McGarrity pointed to its partnerships with local community foundations as a source of inspiration for his organization.
“We are really fortunate to have some amazing foundations in our community that are stepping up to help fill in the gaps our low-income residents are feeling right now,” he said. “To have their support is really a vote of confidence that they know how critical legal services are in times of crisis and that they’re going to stand by us in fighting the residual effects of COVID-19.”
The nonprofit also will seek donations from individuals and businesses as part of its annual fundraising campaign. Anyone interested in supporting Legal Aid can visit www.communitylegalaid.org/donate. Donations also can be mailed to 50 S. Main St., Suite 800, Akron, OH 44308.
To apply for Legal Aid, call its helpline at 800-998-9454 or apply online 24/7 at www.communitylegalaid.org/apply.
Community Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm serving the legal needs of low-income individuals in Central and Northeast Ohio. The nonprofit law firm serves clients in Columbiana, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties.