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Needy families lose
critical Legal Help through Budget Cuts
December, 2011: Recently passed legislation to fund federal
agencies for 2012 drastically reduces funds to help low-income
persons who face domestic violence, the loss of their housing,
and loss of income.
Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO)
helps these persons through 32 counties in western Ohio. LAWO
and its partner law firm, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality
(ABLE), are law firms that provide free comprehensive legal
services to low-income persons. Through their efforts, domestic
violence clients secure protection orders, families maintain
their homes against the threat of eviction, and households
secure income through unemployment compensation and government
assistance available during difficult financial times.
The legislation that US Congress passed and President Barack
Obama signed into law combines funding for several agencies
into an omnibus appropriations bill. The bill reduces funding
for the Legal Services Corporation – which funds legal
aid programs throughout the country – by over $56 million
dollars.
LAWO and its clients will be hard hit by this major reduction in
funding. A $56 million cut in LSC funding reduces LSC’s budget
to its 2007 level and follows a 4 percent budget cut LSC
received in 2011.
“The cuts will equate to a 15 percent reduction in funding for
our services, or approximately $550,000 from what LAWO received
in 2010,” said Kevin Mulder. “This is yet another blow to
our 2012 budget and our ability to serve clients facing serious
legal issues.”
LAWO and ABLE have been struggling to maintain their services to
clients in the wake of other cuts. Over the last four years, the
funding available to the firms from their other major funding
source – The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation – has decreased
from $7.7 million in 2007 to a projected $3.5 million in 2012.
“Up until now we’ve been able to do things to absorb the
reductions in funding without significant reductions in staff,
allowing us to maintain client services,” Mulder remarked. The
firms have suspended contributions to the employee retirement
program, suspended across-the-board salary increases, not
replaced vacant staff, and asked employees to pick up more of
their healthcare benefits.
To address budget shortfalls for 2011, ABLE and LAWO closed
their 10 offices on Monday, November 14, 2011 and on Wednesday,
November 23, 2011. “These closures require our employees to take
mandatory unpaid furloughs on these two days,” says Joseph
Tafelski, executive director of ABLE.
In addition, the legal aid staffs are asked to each take three
additional unpaid furlough days through the remainder of 2011.
“We truly regret any inconvenience these closures may cause our
clients,” says Tafelski. “Our approach is to minimize the impact
on clients and services as much as possible, while also
accommodating our staff to the best of our ability.”
Unfortunately, the cuts will not end with furlough days. The two
firms have reached the point where cutting staff is inevitable.
“We have already seen reductions in staff by not filling vacant
positions; however, we are now at a point where we will be
laying off individuals – including our attorney staff,” says
Tafelski. With less staff, it will be harder to provide the
level of services communities have been used to receiving.
“We are aggressively looking for other funding to support our
programs,” added Mulder. “Our operations will be leaner, but we
will continue to help people get the justice they deserve.”
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