If this headline read, “Jacksonville Area Legal Aid closing,” it would be pretty sobering, huh? Of course, JALA is not closing its doors at the end of the year. But, you better believe the level of services has changed and will continue to change unless we collectively do something about it. Let’s start at the beginning.
What does JALA do?
Since 1937, JALA has assisted low-income families with civil legal matters in Duval, Clay, Nassua and St. Johns counties. The services relate to family law, predatory lending, employment law, landlord/tenant issues, elder law and many other legal areas. And those services are provided to people from all walks of life, including children, senior citizens, veterans and disabled individuals.
Additionally, JALA is an advocate and a resource for the deaf and hard of hearing, developing nonprofits and refugee immigrants. The organization also has a partnership with medical professionals that is designed to educate them on how to identify legal issues that may be impacting individuals’ health, and it is an active participant in the Ryan White project (which provides HIV-related services). And that just scratches the surface.
Who provides JALA’s services?
There are two primary sources. JALA has a staff of approximately 85 lawyers, paraprofessionals and administrative support people who provide services directly to JALA’s clients. Well, at least that’s the case today.
After the most recent round of budget cuts (keep reading), that number will get cut by 20-25 percent. Not good.
Local lawyers also provide pro bono services to those in need through JALA’s intake and referral programs, and those lawyers providing the services should be commended. But the number of lawyers participating has not exactly been going up. Again, not good.
Who benefits from JALA’s services?
On its face, it’s pretty simple. Poor people. According to recent U.S. Census data, approximately 175,000 Duval County residents are considered “poor” and living at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level. The result of that calculation is roughly $28,000 for a family of four.
JALA, however, provides services to those living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which comes out to roughly $46,000 for a family of four. I don’t know if the math is linear, but I’m guessing that JALA’s potential pool of clients exceeds 250,000 people. Last year, JALA’s staff provided services to about 10,000 individuals in the area (they had to turn away several thousand because of a lack of resources). We all can do that math.
But it’s not just JALA’s clients who benefit. JALA’s contributions to the community in general are enormous. By assisting low-income families, JALA sees clients reap the benefits, but their families, neighbors and co-workers do, too. Think about the impact on someone’s productivity at work if they are the victim of domestic abuse, but they don’t have the money or resources to do anything about it. Think of how many people JALA has rescued before they fall into a different social service organization’s hand. That’s the negative view.
The positive view is the huge economic impact. According to a 2010 Florida Tax Watch study, which had a sample of approximately 100,000 legal aid cases, $4.78 was generated for every $1 spent on legal aid, more than $250,000,000 in output was produced for Florida’s economy and more than 3,300 jobs were created. Pretty amazing statistics
that most of us have never thought about.
So, what’s the problem?
JALA has significant funding issues. Like most legal aid organizations in Florida, JALA’s largest funder has been The Florida Bar Foundation, which uses the interest on lawyer trust accounts (IOTA) to fund legal aid services.
Due to the current economy and record low interest rates, that funding stream will become almost nonexistent for JALA (reduced from $1,200,000 in 2011 to $300,000 in 2015). Combine that with reductions in other funding sources, and JALA is in a financial crisis.
Now, think about the services that JALA provides to our community and the impact those funding cuts will have on those services. JALA already has implemented cost-cutting measures that are deep. Those cuts mean that the relatively small percentage of people in need that JALA is able to serve likely will go down even further. We can’t let that happen. And, when I say “we,” I don’t just mean lawyers.
Florida lawyers are encouraged to contribute either 20 hours of pro bono service per year or make an annual contribution of $350 to a legal aid organization. I won’t get into the specific percentages of participation locally, but let’s just say we need to step it up a little.
If you haven’t given before, please consider doing so. Even if you start out small, please do something. Think about your $350 investment generating $1,673 in return.
But, it’s going to take more than our local lawyers. JALA is a community-based organization, and we need the business community’s help in supporting it. Remember, happy employees are productive employees, and the economic impact numbers from the Florida Tax Watch study prove that legal aid is good for all of us.
To contribute, visit JALA’s website at www.jaxlegalaid.org. Click on “Contribute to JALA” and you can contribute online. It’s that simple.
Please mark your calendars for our next monthly luncheon. Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente will join us Aug. 27 to discuss merit retention. We look forward to seeing you there.
The Bar is open! Come make a difference!