Growing numbers of poor people swamp legal aid offices

[babylonsister]

Growing numbers of poor people swamp legal aid offices

By Tony Pugh | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — After years of funding shortfalls, legal aid societies across the country are being overwhelmed by growing numbers of poor and unemployed Americans who face eviction, foreclosure, bankruptcy and other legal problems tied to the recession.

The crush of new clients comes as the cash-strapped agencies cut staff and services.

The nonprofit Legal Services Corp., which funds more than 900 legal-aid offices nationwide, says that the number of people who qualify for assistance has jumped by about 11 million since 2007, because of the recession. Roughly 51 million people are now eligible for assistance — individuals and families who earn less than 125 percent of the federal poverty level, now set at $27,564 a year for a family of four.

The federal government budgeted an 11 percent increase in funding for legal aid this year. That increase, however, is more than offset by the growing demand for services and a recession-driven decline in state funding, charitable gifts and grants, which together traditionally make up half of legal service funding.

That means that legal-aid programs will turn away roughly 1 million valid cases this year, advocates say, about half the requests for assistance they'll receive.

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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/71580.html

[Horse with no Name]

1. It is hard to imagine with ALL of the "toxic" real estate

that was written off, that SOMEHOW we cannot figure out a way to house people that don't have homes.
With all of the food that we pay farmers NOT to grow, that we cannot figure out a way to feed those that are hungry.
With all of people that are out of work, that we cannot figure out ways to make COMMUNITIES work with each other for the greater good.
Many years ago one of my teachers showed us a model of a self-sustaining environment. Everything was thought out. The chickens were placed by the garden so they could use the poop for fertilizer, etc...all the way through.

There are ways to do this.

Even if the community only sustains itself through trade and barter by the woman watching the kids of the man who has the garden so he can work at the grocery store who gives him groceries in return for his fruit and vegetables, if the housing is free (or already paid for by taxpayer dollars), can you imagine how we could uplift the poor?
Sustaining life. By whatever means. We need to rethink our ways.

[snappyturtle]

3. Yes! I believe we're going to turn to each other to survive.

I wonder how many 'toxic' pieces of real estate will have to be on the market until the powers that be realize that they must be used to house the increasing numbers of homeless.

I would love to set up a community bulletin board where members of the community could list goods and services they are willing to barter and trade. It would be a better use of time and probably more fruitful than seeking underfunded gov't services or private scams. Katrina victims were the beginning. The government is only going to help the wealthy.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Smirk." - Republicon Homelander Fatcats

"Too bad. Tough noogies for you Americans. Bwaaa ha ha ha ha ha. Smirk."

- Republicon Homelander Fatcats

[Horse with no Name]

4. OT

What kind of cat is that???
I have one that looks very much like him and he sits just like that. Here is a pic when he was younger--he is about the size of your cat now.