Executive Director’s Message
As the year draws to a close, and as we embark on our 80th Anniversary
Celebration in 2009, on behalf of our Board of Directors and staff,
I would like to thank each of you for your generosity and heartfelt
commitment to the mission and values of the Legal Aid Foundation of
Los Angeles. The financial and volunteer support of friends like you,
our Partners in Equal Justice, makes it possible for us to impact
the lives of so many who otherwise would be denied access to justice.
As you know the financial crisis has disproportionally affected poor
and low-income families, many of whom face the loss of their homes
and are sinking deeper into poverty. Now more than ever, LAFLA depends
on corporate and individual donors to help us increase services to
communities struggling to survive. I hope that we can continue to
count on your support in the future. We wish you and your family a
joyous holiday season.
Silvia Argueta, Interim Executive Director
articles
Government Benefits Attorneys Combat Homelessness
at Its Core by Collaborating with Housing & Family Law Units
By Nicole Perez, Attorney & Skadden Fellow
Los Angeles County, with more homeless than any state, is facing
a severe and worsening crisis. Even with growing government support
and media attention—especially around Los Angeles’
Skid Row area—the needs of people who are homeless remain
sorely unmet. Nearly half (44%) do not receive the government
subsidies that would enable them to obtain basic necessities like
shelter, food and medicine. Of the 60% with disabilities, the
overwhelming majority are inappropriately denied access to vital
benefits and supportive services. But statistics do little to
reveal the toll that homelessness takes on the human experience.
I met “Fatima” this past July through LAFLA’s Government Benefits Unit’s Intake Line. She and her three children were homeless, hungry and penniless. Yet the County’s Welfare Office refused to help Fatima since she had already received her $723 for the month—the maximum a family of three can receive under the welfare program. It did not matter that Fatima’s last $400 was stolen by an unscrupulous “landlord,” or that she and her children had endured years of domestic abuse. Furious with the office’s apathy, I advocated to secure Fatima’s benefits, obtaining a a two-week hotel voucher, money to move the family from their car and into a home, and even a new stove and refrigerator.
Over the following weeks, I continued to advocate for Fatima—negotiating with the welfare office to secure additional benefits for her youngest child, referring her to LAFLA’s Housing and Family Law Units to learn her rights in dealing with her former “slumlord” and abusive husband, and beginning discussions with her previous employer so that she could return to work.
Significant obstacles exist for people like Fatima and her boys—people silenced and excluded from the very institutions designed to serve them. LAFLA has always been committed to fighting such exclusion, and providing a voice for the disenfranchised. Now, perhaps more than ever, LAFLA has renewed its commitment to working with people who are homeless. Recognizing the value of a more holistic approach to advocacy, LAFLA helped Fatima gain access to the social services, housing, and hopeful outlook that she and her family so desperately needed.
With nearly 80,000 people sleeping on Los Angeles’ cold streets, one solution to this crisis resides in the dedication of public interest advocates, with their ingenuity, empathy and tenacity. As the front-line law firm for poor and low-income people in Los Angeles, LAFLA is leading the way—not only talking the talk, but walking the walk…
LAFLA Attorney Testifies
at State Committee Hearing
On November 13 at the request of the Chair of the California Assembly
Judiciary Committee, Ana Storey, Managing Attorney for the Family
Law and Consumer Law Units testified at a hearing titled: Court
Interpreters: Meeting Essential Needs for Equal Access. Storey's
testimony discussed steps that legal-aid agencies like LAFLA often
take vis a vis language access to comply with the federal and
state civil rights laws that also to California's court system.
She spoke about the experiences of clients when interpreters are
needed for meaningful participation in their court proceedings.
More importantly, Storey revealed how courts often violate the
law regarding the provision of interpreters, which prevents poor
and low-income litigants from getting equal access to justice.
Joann Lee, Directing Attorney of the Asian & Pacific Islander
Community Outreach Unit and Christian Abasto, Managing Attorney
for the Housing & Eviction Defense Units provided information
for the presentation.
Exciting Fundraising Programs
and Events Provide Donors with
Year-Round Opportunities
The generous financial support of our friends in the legal community,
corporations and individual donors allows LAFLA to serve more
than 55,000 individuals and families each year by providing 139,000
hours of legal services. The following fundraising opportunities
are available throughout the year for our public-spirited donors:
-
Law Firm Campaign
Engages Attorneys in Public Interest Law
LAFLA is indebted to 2008 Law Firm Campaign Co-Chairs Seth Aronson, O’Melveny & Myers LLP; James Lichtman, NBC Universal television Group, and Marc Seltzer, Susman Godfrey L.L.P. who, with the assistance of the Law Firm Campaign Committee, rallied public-spirited firms of 300-plus attorneys, mid-size practices and sole practitioners to partner with LAFLA as supporters of the campaign. Participation in the campaign enables attorneys in the private sector to fulfill one of the most basic tenets of the legal profession—to provide equal access to justice for everyone in the community. As a result, we raised $528,800 for programs and services in communities throughout Los Angeles County. - Annual Fund Drive
Targets Individual Donors
Tailored for individual, corporate or community donors, our Annual Fund Drive supports the efforts of LAFLA attorneys and advocates to help us respond effectively to community needs. Each year, your generosity has helped LAFLA obtain custody and child support orders on behalf of poor children; help battered spouses escape domestic violence; defend low-income tenants in unlawful evictions and force slumlords to rectify dangerous housing conditions, prevent foreclosure scams that defraud elderly and indigent homeowners; advocate for the rights of low-wage workers; and secure benefits for homeless veterans the disabled and working poor families. Donors can contribute in the following ways:
- Make a cash gift online. Monthly, quarterly, annual pledges and one-time gifts are also welcome. Commemorative gifts can be made in honor or memory of a colleague or loved one, or you can designate LAFLA as the recipient of your United Way payroll gifts.
- Donate real estate, appreciated stock, or other securities that you have held for at least a year. This type of contribution allows you to take an income deduction for the current value of the asset, as well as reduce capital gains and estate taxes. Please inform us of your gift and we’ll send you our account number and broker information to facilitate the transaction.
- Remember LAFLA in your will, or designate the organization as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, gift annuity or charitable remainder trust. Please contact your attorney or financial planner for information on these types of gifts.
- Donate your used automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and recreational vehicles–running or not.
- Annual Access to Justice Dinner
Salutes Heroes and Donors
Each year in the fall, LAFLA holds its Access to Justice Dinner to recognize and thank our local heroes and supporters for their tireless work on behalf of the communities we serve. Sponsorship opportunities are available at the Angel ($50,000), Benefactor ($25,000), Patron ($10,000) and Sponsor ($5,000) levels; tables of ten are $3,000 and individual tickets are $300. The Access to Justice Dinner, which has raised more than $4.5 million over its 10-year history, enjoys the generous support of the legal and corporate communities and the entertainment industry. To find out how you can participate in these fundraising programs, please call the Development Department at (323) 801-7915, or e-mail Kathleen Sheldon, Development Director at ksheldon@lafla.org. - Grand Cru Wine Tasting
Celebrating 15th Anniversary in 2009
A Socially Responsible Business Marketing Investment
The Long Beach Grand Cru is a premier, highly visible international wine competition and public tasting event, as well as a marketing and fundraising benefit for LAFLA. Established in 1995, the event has earned a prestigious reputation and become a magnet for businesses seeking socially responsible marketing opportunities that provide name recognition, advertising, promotional and public relations benefits in the Southern California region and beyond.
The Grand Cru encompasses five events over a six-month period: Sponsor Party, International Wine Competition, Public Tasting, VIP Reception and Volunteer Party. In 2008, the public tasting attracted approximately 1,300 business, civic and community leaders and the competition received 1,947 entries from around the world. The Grand Cru's Website has become very active with over 827,000 hits in 2008.Since its inception, the Grand Cru has raised over $2,803,809 to sustain LAFLA's programs and services in the greater Long Beach/Harbor community. For more information about the upcoming 2009 Grand Cru, download a PDF with more details and application at www.longbeachgrandcru.com, or call Ludmila Montoya, Director of Special Projects at (213) 640-3894.
LAFLA Team Participates
in HomeWalk for the Homeless
Attorney for the Housing & Eviction Defense Units provided client information for the presentation.
New
2007 Major Advocacy Report
Highlights LAFLA's Complex Legal Work
Our Major Advocacy Report chronicles our legal efforts to more
broadly challenge conditions of poverty and injustice. It also
highlights LAFLA's continued legacy of providing leadership and
expertise in promoting systemic change in concrete legal areas.
Recently, the Court of Appeal cited LAFLA's work as a model in
pursuing broad advocacy "while vigorously representing individual
clients." To read or download a copy of the report, please
click here.
© 2009 Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles