Legal Aid of NC celebrates 35th Anniversary of Legal Services
Corporation
July 27, 2009 Media Release
(Raleigh, NC) -
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) joins the
Legal Services
Corporation (LSC) this week in observing 35 years of dedicated
federal funding to provide civil legal assistance to low-income
individuals and families.
The Corporation, known as LSC, provides federal funds to 137
independent nonprofit organizations across the nation, including
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC). The funding provided by LSC is
vital to LANC, making up 45 percent of the LANC’s total annual
budget.
Nationwide, LSC is the single largest funder of civil legal aid for
the poor. Established by Congress in 1974, LSC operates as a
nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and
provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to
low-income Americans.
“We deeply appreciate the bipartisan support of Congress and the LSC
in ensuring we receive this critical federal funding,” said George
Hausen, LANC's executive director. "The crisis in our economy has
greatly increased the need for legal services."
In 2008, LANC served more than 23,000 clients in North Carolina,
making a meaningful difference in their lives. Low-income households
who seek legal assistance include victims of domestic violence,
families facing unlawful evictions or foreclosures that could leave
them homeless, disaster victims trying to obtain emergency
assistance, persons with disabilities, military veterans and others
with pressing civil legal problems.
In these difficult economic times, LSC funding has never been more
important and critical to the success of legal aid programs.
Millions of Americans continue to fall deeper into poverty and
millions more are facing poverty for the first time. The low-income
Americans who seek legal assistance include victims of domestic
violence, families facing unlawful evictions or foreclosures that
could leave them homeless, disaster victims trying to obtain
emergency assistance, persons with disabilities, military veterans
and others with pressing civil legal problems.
For fiscal year 2009, Congress appropriated $390 million to LSC. The
Corporation is headed by a bipartisan board of directors whose 11
members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
For more information, visit the LSC website
www.lsc.gov.
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) is a statewide, nonprofit law
firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to eligible,
low-income people in all 100 counties in North Carolina through 24,
geographically located offices in North Carolina. LANC’s clients
typically have an annual income of 125% or less of the federally
established poverty levels. In 2008, LANC closed approximately
23,000 cases across North Carolina. For additional information
on LANC, visit the LANC website at
www.legalaidnc.org.
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Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.