Unemployed attend workshop
In times of financial crisis the key to survival is managing resources and networking. These were the primary objectives of the community employment workshop at First Baptist Church Monday.
More than 75 displaced workers signed up seeking help with various tasks and needs to help them weather the growing financial crisis gripping the nation. Currently, the unemployment rate in Hamblen County is hovering at 12.1 percent.
More than 20 vendors gave attendees instructions on resume development, maintaining insurance benefits, budgeting, resources and much more.
Walters State College offered information about educational opportunities and career changes.
“During periods of great unemployment many people consider career changes,” said Vic Martino, organizer. “This is an exciting opportunity for people to return to school as they can get financial aid to pay for learning new skills.”
Bob Bible of Bible Insurance was on hand to offer counseling on insurance and COBRA. Tennessee is now helping displaced workers maintain their insurance benefits by supplementing the premium payments. At one time displaced workers had to pay their entire insurance premium. Now, with supplements from the state, the insured needs to pay 22 percent of their premium. The workforce investment act will help extend unemployment benefits.
A representative from Appalachian Outreach was present to help with groceries and work on the home. Legal Aid of East Tennessee offered help with legal problems such as evictions.
Ann Hale and Seth Horn of Lakeway Publishers Inc., offered instructions on posting resumes on the Jobs Network at the citizentribune.com Web site.
Megan’s Corner provided catering for those in attendance.
Attendees were directed on where to get help with groceries, clothing, heating and cooling bills and other necessities.
“Over the past two months we have helped 30 people find work,” said Martino. “This was done through networking.”
Pastor Don Beach offered words of encouragement. He compared the calamity many families are facing to the epic battle of David and Goliath in which the small but courageous youth faced overwhelming odds and triumphed.
“If there is anything good that will come from this economic downturn, it would be that communities are coming together,” said Beach. “This situation may be a turning point in your lives. Hold on, the morning is coming.”
Organizers have already begun to contact the 75 who registered for the workshop and will offer assistance with any needs they may have.
First Baptist Church is planning to conduct another workshop on May 11 at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and can offer opportunities for families in need. For more information call Vic Martino at 770-616-5984 or Bonnie Frazee at 423-581-5839.
Williams, Mike. “Unemployed attend workshop.” Citizen Tribune of Morristown 30 April 2009: A13. Print.
Public meeting to discuss increasing need of legal help for poor
KNOXVILLE (WATE) – A public meeting will be held later this month to discuss legal needs and access to justice issues for the poor in Knoxville and surrounding areas of East Tennessee.
A member of the Supreme Court will moderate the meeting, which will take place Thursday, February 26, at Lawson McGhee Library, 500 West Church Street.
The meeting, the third in a series of public meetings, will begin at 3:00 p.m. and may run until 6:00. Members of the public are invited to attend and ask questions.
A panel of community leaders and members of Legal Aid of East Tennessee will talk about legal issues affecting the community.
One topic of discussion at the open meeting is an effort by Legal Aid to recruit lawyers to give $50 per month and 50 hours per year of pro bono services to help people who can’t afford legal services.
Although courts provide lawyers to those in need in criminal cases, that’s not the case for civil cases, such as filing for bankruptcy. That leaves people who can’t afford lawyers with few options.
The 50/50 plan adopted by Legal Aid recruits members of the legal community to help fill the gap between need and available services.
Currently, there are 320,000 people in 26 East Tennessee counties who qualify for pro bono services, but Legal Aid is only able to fill about five percent of the need.
For more information on the meeting, contact Rebecca Rhodes, Access to Justice Coordinator, at (615) 741-2687.
“Public meeting to discuss increasing need of legal help for poor.” WATE.com (http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=9835971&nav=E8Yv). 12 February 2009. Web. 13 February 2009.
Legal group holds pro bono event
A couple hundred judges, attorneys and guests joined Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the Chattanooga Bar Association Pro Bono Committee for Pro Bono Night on Thursday.
The annual event honors attorney volunteers who donate their time and expertise to assist low-income individuals with civil legal problems.
According to a news release from Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the 2007 Pro Bono Night recognized Leslie McWilliams with the 2007 Bruce C. Bailey Volunteer Attorney Award, and the law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel received the Pro Bono Firm of the Year Award.
Kenneth Fritz, James Hooper and Mark Ramsey also received awards for their contributions to pro bono efforts in East Tennessee.
Attorneys Jeff Boehm, Bill Carriger, Richard Crotteau, Brad Davis, Joe DeGaetano, Joseph Dickerson, Heidi Hoffecker, Seth Holliday, Amy Mason, Robert Parsley, Craig Smith and April Randel received special recognition for the number of hours of pro bono representation that they have provided in the last year, the news release said.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s mission is to ensure equal justice for elderly, abused and low-income people by providing a broad scope of civil legal assistance.
For more information about Legal Aid of East Tennessee, call 765-4013 in Chattanooga or, outside the Chattanooga calling area, dial (800) 572-7457.
“Legal group holds pro bono event.” Chattanooga Times Free Press 26 May 2007: B5. Print.
Legal aid office plans forum to give savvy to consumers
Legal Aid of East Tennessee will sponsor its first public forum this month to educate consumers.
Mary Clement, director of the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs, will talk about issues such as how to file a complaint about a particular business at the Chattanooga Consumer Roundtable, said Brain Frye, an attorney with Legal Aid of East Tennessee.
“This is something new, but something we thought would be beneficial to consumers,” he said.
The roundtable discussion will teach participants about a variety of consumer issues and let them ask questions and voice concerns, according to information provided by Legal Aid of East Tennessee.
Jim Winsett, president of the Better Business Bureau of Hamilton County, said roundtable discussions will be beneficial to the people of Hamilton County.
“Any consumer-oriented program will certainly be of value,” he said. “We all need to create as much knowledge as possible.”
Megan Hannover, a consumer from Hixson, said the roundtable discussion is something she will consider attending.
“That sounds like a really good idea,” she said. “It might be a place to get a lot of helpful tips and information.”
Mr. Winsett said that, in addition to the Division of Consumer Affairs, there are other avenues through which consumers can complain about local businesses or learn about issues affecting them.
“We often work hand in hand with Consumer Affairs,” he said. “That is one way to file a complaint. Another is through the Better Business Bureau.”
Mr. Frye said the Consumer Roundtable will meet every other month and try to have a different speaker each time.
He said the exact format for the discussion, as well as the various topics, will be determined as the program takes shape.
E-mail Brain Lazenby at blazenby@timesfreepress.com.
Lazenby, Brian. “Legal aid office plans forum to give savvy to consumers.” Chattanooga Times Free Press 1 May 2007: B3. Print.
Chancey named Volunteer Attorney of the Year
Franklin Chancey of Cleveland is a lawyer who believes in giving to his community.
Chancey was recently named 2006 Volunteer Attorney of the Year from Bradley County.
He has done so through many avenues, especially through the Pro Bono Program at Legal Aid of East Tennessee, according to Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Director Nancy Pagano.
He has represented 26 clients, many in difficult domestic law cases, allowing them to get their lives back on track.
He has also advised clients at the Blythe Saturday Morning Legal Clinic and participated in the Bradley County Campus Court; he does all of this pro bono.
Chancey is a volunteer through Legal Aid’s Cleveland office, which serves Bradley, Polk, Monroe, McMinn and Meigs Counties.
He graduated from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1985 receiving the Frank Prescott Outstanding Political Science Graduate Award. He earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1988.
He served as an assistant public defender 10th Judicial district from 1990-92 and as a Bradley County Juvenile Court referee from 1993-97.
He has been a partner in the law firm of Chancey, Kanavos, Love and Painter since 1994.
This year, he was named a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society.
He has served as chairman of the Cleveland City Charter Study Commission, Citizens for a Progressive Cleveland, Museum Center at Five Points, Nancy’s House and president of the Bradley county Bar Association.
He has a daughter, Catherine Grace Chancey.
VOLUNTEER AWARD ---
Franklin Chancey was recently presented the Legal Aid Pro Bono Program’s Volunteer Attorney of the Year award, Nancy Pagano, Legal Aid Pro Bono-director, made the presentation.
“Chancey named Volunteer Attorney of the Year.” Cleveland Daily Banner 28 January 2007: 45. Print.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee receives generous grant for domestic violence work
CHATTANOOGA --- Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant in the amount of $249,998 from the Office on Violence Against Women.
This two-year grant will enable LAET to hire two new attorneys to provide civil legal assistance to victims of domestic violence in 24 of the 26 counties LAET serves.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to help more victims of domestic violence become survivors of domestic violence and break the cycle of violence in more families,” said David Yoder, executive director of LAET.
Domestic Violence is a problem that plagues many communities, and East Tennessee is no exception. In 2005, Tennessee ranked 5th in the nation for the number of women murdered by men and in 88 percent of those slayings, the woman knew her killer (The Violence Policy Center, 2005). Also in 2005, Knox County for example (including county and city limits) received 17,000 calls to 911 for family violence. That equates to nearly one call every 30 minutes. Approximately 33 percent of the domestic homicides have been children under the age of one during the past three years in Knox County. And more than 2,000 Orders of Protection were processed through Knox County’s Fourth Circuit Court in 2005. LAET’s Knoxville office handled 763 of these Orders of Protection.
The Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program supports projects that provide legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking. Eligible applicants include nonprofit, nongovernmental legal services organizations; nonprofit, nongovernmental victim service agencies; public entities operating in their non-governmental capacity; and Indian tribal governments.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee, in collaboration with 21 domestic violence and/or sexual assault programs will provide comprehensive civil legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence in a 24-county service area in East Tennessee.
With this initial LAV award, LAET will 1) hire two attorneys; 2) collaborate with their partnering agencies to develop and implement protocols on referring clients to LAET for legal services; and 3) provide translation services and bilingual brochures to limited English proficiency clients on civil legal remedies available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.
LAET will provide domestic violence services through this grant in 24 counties: Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington.
This particular grant does not provide funding for Knox or Hamilton Counties. Knox County has received funding from the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative in the amount of $150,000 and Hamilton County is currently served by another federally funded legal aid program focusing on domestic violence.
For more information about this grant or Legal Aid of East Tennessee, please contact Debra House by phone at (423) 756-4013 or by email at dhouse@laet.org.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee Domestic Violence Case Profile
Legal Aid of East Tennessee Staff Attorney Laura Rule recently helped a 51-year-old woman, “Mary” get a no contact Order of Protection for herself and her 13-year-old daughter against her husband of 33 years, “John.” Mary has suffered abuse at John’s hands for almost all of their marriage.
Anything and everything sets “John” off. Mary believes that John is mentally ill. John is disabled and on Social Security Disability for physical problems, but to Mary’s knowledge is not being treated for his mental/emotional problem. The parties have two daughters, ages 21 and 13. Mary and John own their own home, free and clear. Their 21-year-old daughter is a psychology major at the University of Tennessee.
Mary has fled from John many times to escape his beatings. Her aunt told Atty: Rule that Mary, would be black and blue with eyes swollen shut when Mary would make her way to the aunt’s house. Mary and John have followed the same pattern throughout their marriage: John beats Mary, Mary leaves, John comes around crying and begging for forgiveness, promising not to do it anymore, and Mary goes back.
The family is frustrated with Mary and has told her more than once that they are through helping her. Both daughters say they want nothing more to do with John. When Mary talks about the abuse, she seems very clinical and detached. Mary is clearly very intelligent and has done extensive research regarding domestic abuse. Mary swears that this time she is through for good. Atty: Rule strongly advised Mary to seek out Haven House, the local women’s shelter, and go to some of their support meetings for abused women. This is the first time Mary has ever taken legal action against John.
The latest incidence of abuse occurred on 09/24/06. That morning, Mary got up around 5 a.m., as she does every morning, and began cooking John’s breakfast. John came into the kitchen and said something to Mary. Mary answered, but John said that he didn’t hear Mary’s answer.
John told Mary that is she didn’t answer his question; he was going to hit her. Mary just looked at John. John proceeded to head butt Mary in the left side of her head four times. Then John smacked Mary in her head two more times, busting her lip. John then threw Mary on the floor and hit Mary twice more in the back with his fists. John then pulled/pushed Mary up against the counter top, making more bruises on Mary’s back. Mary had several bruises on her head, arms and legs when she fled the house.
Mary went to her aunt’s house, and her aunt called the police. The police came, took a report, saw the bruises and marks, and arrested John. John was charged with Domestic Violence Assault.
The following day, Mary went to the Justice Center and filed a petition for an Order of Protection for herself and her 13-year-old daughter. When Mary came to court for the hearing on the Order of Protection, she asked for LAET’s assistance. Mary wanted a No Contact Order of Protection for herself and her 13-year-old daughter, custody of the 13-year-old, no visitation for John, child support, and all the household goods.
Both daughters told Atty. Rule about John shooting their pets. John shot and killed the older daughter’s dog several years ago. This past August, John shot and killed the younger daughter’s cat in front of the younger daughter. The younger daughter is still very upset about the loss of her cat. When Atty. Rule confronted John about the cat, their conversation went like this:
Atty. Rule: Your wife wants a no contact order of protection against you for both herself and your daughter.
John: My daughter? You mean she doesn’t want me to see my daughter?
Atty. Rule: No. She doesn’t want you to have any contact with your daughter, and your daughter doesn’t want to have any contact with you.
John: My daughter doesn’t want to have any contact with me? Why? I don’t understand.
Atty. Rule: You shot her cat.
John: Did they tell you why I shot her cat? That cat was a mean cat. That cat . . .
Atty. Rule: You shot her cat in front of her!
John: Well, that was her fault. She shouldn’t have looked.
Atty. Rule negotiated an agreement with John. When Mary left the court, she had an Order of Protection for herself and her daughter, custody of her daughter, no visitation for John, child support in accordance with the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines, all the household goods, all Mary’s possessions, and all the possessions of the 13-year-old.
“Legal Aid of East Tennessee receives generous grant for domestic violence work.” Hamilton County Herald 6 November 2006: 1 + 3. Print.
Legal Aid group receives grant
Funds will be used to hire more attorneys and provide interpreters for clients who don’t speak English, officials with the organization say.
A recent grant will allow Legal Aid of East Tennessee to expand its services to assist victims of domestic violence in 24 counties in the state, officials announced Friday.
Legal Aid officials said the $250,000 grant from the office of Violence Against Women does not affect Hamilton or Knox counties. Those areas are funded through other sources, officials said.
David Yoder, Legal Aid of East Tennessee executive director, said in a statement that the grant will allow the organization to hire two more attorneys, collaborate with other agencies and provide translation services to assist non-English speaking victims.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to help more victims of domestic violence become survivors of domestic violence and break the cycle of violence in more families,” Mr. Yoder said.
According to a news release from Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Tennessee ranked fifth in the nation in 2005 for the number of women murdered by men.
The grant covers Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties.
“Legal Aid group receives grant.” Chattanooga Times Free Press 4 November 2006: B5. Print.
Legal Aid grant win provide new attorneys
Legal Aid of East Tennessee has announced a $249,998 grant which will enable the East Tennessee organization to provide two new attorneys to provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence in 24 of the 26 counties it serves.
One of these two new attorneys will be stationed in Cleveland, and the second attorney in Johnson City.
This Legal Assistance for Victims grant comes from the federal Office on Violence Against Women.
“We are thrilled to receive this federal grant,” said LAET Associate Director Debra House on Monday. “This federal grant will give us the opportunity to provide legal assistance on divorces, custody, housing, benefits and other legal issues women may be facing.”
“We are excited to have this opportunity to help more victims of domestic violence become survivors of domestic violence and break the cycle of violence in more families,” said David Yoder, executive director of LAET.
Domestic violence is a problem that plagues many communities, including those in East Tennessee. In 2005, Tennessee ranked fifth in the nation for the number of women murdered by men and in 88 percent of those slayings the women knew her killer.
Also in 2005, Knox County, for example, received 17,000 calls to 911 for family violence. The number equates to nearly one call every 30 minutes. Approximately, 33 percent of the domestic homicides have been children under the age of one during the past three years in Knox County. And, more than 2,000 Orders of Protection were processed through Knox County’s Fourth Circuit Court in 2005, with the LAET office handling 763 of those orders of protection.
The Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program supports projects that provide legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and/or stalking. Eligible applicants include non-profit, nongovernmental legal service organizations; nonprofit nongovernmental victim service agencies; public entities operation in their nongovernmental capacity; and Indian tribal governments.
The Office on Violence Against Women funds projects that provide comprehensive legal services either through direct representation and/or victim advocacy which enhances victims’ safety and strengthens their economic security.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee, in collaboration with 21 domestic violence and/or sexual assault programs, will provide comprehensive civil legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence in a 24-county service area of East Tennessee.
With this initial two-year grant, LAET will hire two attorneys, collaborate with their partnering agencies to develop and implement protocols on referring clients to LAET for legal services. LAET will also provide translation services and bilingual brochures to limited English proficiency clients on civil legal remedies available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.
In addition to Bradley County, services through this grant will be offered in Bledsoe, Blount, Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoe and Washington counties.
This particular grant does not provide funding for Knox or Hamilton counties. Knox County has received funding from the President’s Family Justice Center in the amount of $150,000 and Hamilton County is currently served by another federally funded legal aid program focusing on domestic violence.
For additional information on this grant and services being offered, call Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s Cleveland office at 479-8577.
Bowers, Larry C. “Legal Aid grant win provide new attorneys.” Cleveland Daily Banner 31 October 2006: 1 + 11. Print.
United Way agencies help real-life survivors
Drama isn’t confined to television’s reality shows. “Survivor” is a word well-known to the agencies supported through donations to United Way of Blount County.
Judy Watts, a United Way loaned executive and member of the 2006 allocations committee, served as director of administration for the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad for 17 years. She said Blount County citizens are fortunate to have that same type of service through the Blount County Rescue Squad.
“(This agency) serves the needs of those unfortunate enough to have to be rescued,” Watts told those attending United Way of Blount County’s first report meting Friday at Broadway United Methodist Church. “This is a service any one of us, along with our family members, could need at any day or any time.”
Almost on cue, beepers of two members of the Blount County Rescue Squad sounded and they left the meeting, to the applause of others in attendance.
“This is just one of the 23 agencies funded by United Way in Blount County,” Watts continued, adding that she had been the beneficiary of emergency service personnel’s expertise in February.
After leaving the United Way Allocation Committee meeting Watts suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. She survived, with no permanent physical impairments.
Watts said she is a real-life survivor, like many others who are involved in their own personal “survival games” every day.
“The battered women and children who seek shelter at Haven House are certainly playing ‘Survivor’ to the hilt,” she said. “The game is also being played to the max at Birth to 3, where children born with learning disabilities are given an early start before the public school system takes over. Legal Aid Society of East Tennessee is playing the ‘Court TV’ game of survival for those who can’t afford attorney fees but have to have legal assistance. *
In addition, Watts mentioned Blount County Literacy Council, which provides the resources for those lacking education to find the means to improve their lots in life and survive. Johnson Group Home for Girls also teaches survival skills to young girls in a home-like setting, helping them gain the skills needed to function in the world today.
“I visited all these organizations and heard their voices of gratitude with what United Way giving has provided for them in the past and the hopes of more to come this year if the $2 million goal is met,” she said.
Albert, Linda Braden. “United Way agencies help real-life survivors.” The Daily Times 30 September 2006: 3A. Print.
Lawyer offers legal aid to those who can’t afford it
CLEVELAND, Tenn. --- Betty Sermons knows that if it hadn’t been for Ron Haynes, an attorney with Legal Aid of East Tennessee, she might not have been able to spend her upcoming 43rd birthday with her daughter Bria, 12.
After Ms. Sermons was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis several years ago, she became bedridden, and Bria was put in foster care.
Unable to afford legal representation, Ms. Sermons approached Mr. Haynes, and they set to work proving she was a fit mother. Bria has been back with her mother now for three months, and according to Ms. Sermons, mother and daughter couldn’t be happier.
“When she came back, she hollered, ‘Momma, I’m home!’” Ms. Sermons said.
Ms. Sermons said she appreciates the persistence Mr. Haynes had for a case that didn’t look hopeful.
“At one time when it looked like all odds were against me and it looked like I wasn’t going to get her back, he still hung in there and helped me to get her back,” she said. “I’m very grateful.”
Legal Aid of East Tennessee is a group of attorneys funded by government grants and private donations. The lawyers give free legal help to those in the region who cannot afford an attorney.
A branch of the Chattanooga office, Mr. Hayne’s Cleveland office serves Bradley, Polk, McMinn, Monroe and Meigs counties.
Legal Aid handles only the civil suits of people in low-income households. Mr. Haynes said his office handles mostly emergency cases that, if not handled, could result in a repossessed houses or cars or a child placed in foster care.
“The cases usually affect where they live, their job or their family,” Mr. Haynes said. “Otherwise, it’s not a true emergency.”
In Mr. Haynes’ five-county region, he is the only full-time lawyer. He said this means he is the only lawyer for 27,000 people will low incomes.
Without his own secretary or paralegal, Mr. Haynes said it is often a struggle to keep up with the volume of cases.
“Sometimes the caseload may be too full, and I can’t take a good case,” he said. “(It’s stressful) to say no to someone in need, but I can’t take every case.”
While Mr. Haynes said it can be exhilarating to “beat the bad guy” and win money for his underprivileged clients, that isn’t his goal.
“We’re not trying to make people rich; we’re just trying to keep the law.”
Mr. Haynes, a graduate of Lee University and the University of Tennessee, said he considers his job to be a ministry.
“It’s meaningful work, and that’s why I got into law in the first place.”
E-mail Kelli Gauthier at kgauthier@timesfreepress.com
NEED TO KNOW
What: Legal Aid of East Tennessee
Whom it serves: People who cannot afford to pay a lawyer
Services offered: Free legal aid
Address: 85 Central Ave. NW, Cleveland, Tenn.
Phone (423) 479-8577
Gauthier, Kelli. “Lawyer offers legal aid to those who can’t afford it.” Chattanooga Times Free Press 2 September 2006: 1. Print.
Protect funding at the grass roots
It is infuriating when people running anti-poverty programs undermine them by wasteful extravagance.
When Americans think about the federally funded program to provide legal services to the poor, for instance, they don’t want to think about the big bosses in Washington flying first-class to foreign destinations or riding around the District of Columbia in chauffeur-driven cars. But that’s what the big bosses of the Legal Services Corporation have apparently done.
The extent of their lavish spending is unclear. Recent news reports from CBS News and the Associated Press are sketchy. But even occasional high living at taxpayer expense is hurtful when it involves programs serving the poor.
There is never enough funding to meet the aims of anti-poverty efforts. A study last year found that lack of resources forced LSC field offices to turn away one person for every client they can help. That makes it particularly galling for administrators in Washington to pamper themselves with lunch at the Four Seasons and dinner catered by the Ritz Carlton. It is wrong. And while much greater waste in, say, the defense budget is easily forgiven in Washington, any instance of profligate spending in a poverty program produces outrage.
The Associated Press reports that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is threatening to withhold funding if the LSC doesn’t shape up. We urge him and others angered by the recent news to focus narrowly on the LSC budget for management and administration. Congress makes specific appropriations for that category, and any budgetary retribution should be limited to that category.
The bulk of the LSC budget is, appropriately, for field operations. LSC funds 140 independent local legal aid societies, including Legal Aid of East Tennessee. These organizations are the heart of LSC’s mission. It is through them that the actual work of providing legal services to poor people is done.
The House and Senate have both passed bills to increase funding for field operations for the first time in several years. So the criticism of LSC extravagance inside the beltway comes at a crucial time for LSC at the grass roots of America. And figuring prominently in the CBS report is Ken Boehm who, as head of the National Legal and Policy Center, has been trying to kill the entire LSC program for many years. His motives are in question.
Members of the conference committee who finalize LSC budget should keep the recent bad press in perspective and vote to increase the LSC field operations budget regardless. Proposed increases are quite modest, especially compared to the vast unmet need for legal services for the poor.
“Protect funding at the grass roots.” Chattanooga Times Free Press 18 August 2006: 2. Print.