State supports limited legal help
Panel pushes for more funding of civil legal aid for
low-income residents
With private funding drying up as a result of the economy, a coalition of
Illinois leaders is pushing for increased state funding for Illinois' civil
legal aid organizations.
The 20-member committee, led by former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon and former
Gov. Jim Thompson, hopes eventually to get state funding increased to $1
million annually - more than double the current state contribution of
$490,000.
Civil legal aid, represented locally and in most of downstate by the Land
of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, helps low-income Illinoisans resolve
urgent, non-criminal issues such as adoption, child custody, child support,
domestic violence, housing and consumer fraud cases.
"Increasing the appropriation for civil legal aid is a wise long-term
investment for Illinois," Thompson said. "By providing people with the legal
help they need now, we can help prevent problems, such as domestic violence
and homelessness, and reduce the need for costly government services."
According to the
Equal Justice
Illinois Campaign, Illinois ranks last among the 10 most populous states
in what it spends on civil legal aid. Illinois' contribution of $490,000
compares to $12 million in New Jersey and $10 million in California. The
average appropriation among the 10 most populous states is $5.4 million, and
the ninth highest contribution, in Georgia, is $2.1 million.
The campaign is an initiative of the Illinois Coalition for Equal
Justice, a 30-member body appointed by the Illinois State and Chicago Bar
Associations to coordinate access-to-justice efforts throughout the state.
Less than two percent of the more than $30 million spent last year on
legal aid came from the state. Most of the funding came from the federal
Legal Services Corp. (33 percent), Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, private
donations and the legal community, said Margarite Wypychowski, spokeswoman
for the campaign.
However, funding from the Legal Services Corp. has been reduced almost $1
million for the coming year, and low interest rates have drastically reduced
revenue from the interest on the lawyers trust.
The state Supreme Court raised attorney licensing fees on Jan. 1 by $49,
with $42 of the increase ticketed for the Lawyers Trust Fund. But the
increase has merely maintained trust revenue at previous levels, not
increased it, said Susan Pierson of the Illinois Bar Foundation.
"Legal aid is where the bulk of foundation funds go every year," Pierson
said. "Lawyers can't do it on their own, and we need to find alternative
sources of funding.
"Part of the state's responsibility should be to fund legal services just
like other social services," she said.
The Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, the downstate legal aid
organization that covers 65 counties, has announced it will be forced to lay
off about 10 people, or one-fifth of its staff, as a result of federal
spending cuts.
There is currently one legal aid lawyer for every 6,500 low-income
residents of Illinois, and legal aid agencies must turn away four of every
five families who request aid. The groups basically establish a kind of
triage so they can work first with people in the most dire straits.
Wypychowski said legal aid hotlines, which are often the first point of
contact for the poor, are able to answer only about half the calls they
receive statewide.
State funding for civil legal aid is appropriated through the Illinois
Equal Justice Act, which was signed into law in 1999. The act also created
the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, which distributes the state's
appropriation for civil legal aid to not-for-profit organizations throughout
the state.
Wypychowski said the immediate goal of the lobbying effort is to ensure
that the $490,000 in the state budget for legal aid stays at its current
level. The campaign would like to see the appropriation increased to $1
million.
"We're definitely in this for the long term," she said.
"With more resources, Illinois' legal aid providers can help more victims
of domestic violence obtain orders of protection, help more seniors protect
themselves from consumer fraud and help more families remain in safe and
secure housing," Simon said. "Access to the justice system is a basic right
that should be afforded to everyone, regardless of their income or whether
they live in a rural or urban area."
Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510 or
chris.dettro@sj-r.com.
|
