Opt Out – What do you think?

There’s an article in the Free Times that features Commissioner Sue Berkowitz. It focuses on the Opt Out idea that is currently circulating in D.C. regarding the Health Care Reform Package.

Some statistics from the article:

Currently, South Carolina ranks 48th in the country in overall health, according to data from the United Health Foundation. The state ranks near the top in such categories as stroke deaths, infant mortality and percentage of uninsured children and near the bottom of such lists as access to prenatal care and percentage of healthy children.

Also, approximately one in six South Carolinians are uninsured, according to Census data, and 80 percent of the uninsured are from working families, according to Families USA.

Tell us what you think:

-RFW

Filed under: Health Care, Law, Legal, Legal Drafting, President, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, South Carolina, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, hunger, indigent, legal aid, people with disabilities, poverty, poverty guidelines, public interest attorney , Census, Families USA, Free Times, Health Care, health care reform package, insurance, opt out, SC access to justice commission, South Carolina, South Carolina health, Sue Berkowitz, uninsured, United Health Foundation

Pro Bono: USC School of Law

If you attended USC School of Law anytime after 1989, chances are you met Pamela D.  Robinson, the director of the Pro Bono program there. And it’s more likely than not that you participated in one of  the programs she coordinates.

Think not? Think again! How about the Harvest Hope food drives?

Take a look to see how far they’ve come (just last spring).

And I received information today that:

Over the last 15 years the USC School of Law “Best Class Food Drives” have resulted in the donation of 243,600 pounds of food to help Harvest Hope Food Bank meet the needs of their clients.

With the Fall Food Drive we expect to go over the 1/4 pound mark.  In addition hundreds of law students have learned about hunger in SC and how everyone can be a part of the solution.

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Law, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, USC School of Law, access to justice, access to justice blog, blog, hunger, law students, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney , Fall Food Drive, Harvest Hope, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Pamela D. Robinson, pro bono, pro bono publico, USC School of Law, USC School of Law Pro Bono

Pro Bono in Action! RichBar and HELP

Thanks to the Richland County Bar Association’s Public Service Committee!

Filed under: 1, Law, Legal, Legal Clinic, Right to Counsel, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, homeless, housing, hunger, indigent, legal aid, poverty, poverty guidelines, pro bono, public interest attorney , HELP, homeless, Homeless Experience Legal Project, Judge Zainey, pro bono, Richland County Bar Association

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

You may wonder what Climate Change has to do with Access to Justice. And at first glance, it may not seem to have a connection. But when you consider the potential negative effects of Climate Change such as lack of clean water supplies and more natural disasters, the connection becomes less tenuous.

Consider clean water. If Climate Change impacts clean water supply, it is likely that costs of water purification will rise even if the demand remains constant. This would impact people living in poverty such that not only would they be less likely to have access to the clean water, but their health may be at risk. With many people in poverty already living without health insurance, the numbers of unhealthy poor people will be expected to rise. With people paying a premium for water, simply for sustenance, they are less likely to be able to afford legal assistance.

Now consider increasing natural disasters. The entire U.S. nation watched Hurricane Katrina unfold. Who suffered most in this historic natural disaster? People living in poverty. They were less likely to be able to transport their families and themselves out of harm’s way. Even if they were able to do that, they were less likely to have home insurance. Less likely to have skills necessary to relocate to another location where their job skills would easily translate into a new/different job.

As stewards of this planet, we need to consider how our actions affect not only ourselves, but our neighbors as well.

As noted on the front page of Blog Action Day: Climate change affects us all and it threatens more than the environment. It threatens to cause famine, flooding, war, and millions of refugees.

Isn’t it time we consider our actions?

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Health Care, Law, Legal, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, access to justice, access to justice blog, blog, elderly, hunger, poverty , access to justice, Blog Action Day 2009; Climate Change, people living in poverty

Guess

What do Harvest Hope and SC foreclosures have in common?

If you guessed that South Carolina has seen a marked increase in foreclosures and requests for food have markedly increased, you win!

According to the Columbia Regional Business Report (CRBR):

South Carolina’s foreclosure rate from July to August 2009 was up 1.94%, reported national real estate tracking company RealtyTrac.com. That number is more than 78% higher than it was one year ago.

According to Harvest Hope:

In the first quarter of 2009, Harvest Hope experienced a 142%  increase in the number of families needing assistance.

Earlier today I attended a fundraiser luncheon for Harvest Hope. It made me focus on how the problems faced by so many living in poverty are faces of our neighbors, our friends, our loved ones.

The “featured” speaker at the luncheon was someone who had been working – two jobs. Two good, solid jobs. Then she got ill. Which started the medical bills and absence from work. Which caused her to lose her jobs. Both jobs. The bills kept coming. When it came to paying bills, she used her money for medical bills and medication. Then she lost her home. She stopped eating so much. That made her sicker. Then she found Harvest Hope.

She was able to eat.

The doctors are still trying to figure out what is “wrong” with her. In the meantime, she can eat. Without Harvest Hope and the necessary nutrition it provides, she would be even more sick.

While these societal problems may not be legal, I guarantee that the Legal Aid Telephone Intake Service (LATIS) has been referring people to Harvest Hope.

And once people have nutrition and can think about something other than an empty belly, then they may call LATIS for assistance with a problem with their Landlord. Or maybe for help with their Medicaid benefits. Or help with a way to escape their abusive spouse.

-RFW

Filed under: 1, AIDS/HIV, Ask-A-Lawyer, Health Care, Law, Legal, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Legal Services, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, children, disability, divorce, domestic violence, elderly, employment, foreclosure, homeless, housing, hunger, indigent, people with disabilities, poverty, poverty guidelines, public interest attorney, subprime mortgage crisis , South Carolina, poverty, LATIS, Legal Aid Telephone Intake Service, foreclosure, hungry, abusive spouse, Harvest Hope, Columbia Business Regional Report, RealtyTrac.com, Landlord, Tenant, Landlord/Tenant, Medicaid benefits

P&A Wants You(r Input)!

Every year the South Carolina protection and advocacy system, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc. (P&A) asks for public opinion on what they should do also known as priority work areas.

Their Board of Directors reviews the information from the public and compares it to data they have received throughout the year. Once the Board has completed this process, it sets the priority work areas for the year. The reason they’re asking for it now is that their fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30.

To get your input into setting their priority work areas, P&A asks that you complete their online survey that will close on September 10, 2009.

-RFW

Filed under: 1, AIDS/HIV, DOJ, Election, Health Care, Immigration, LEP, Law, Legal, Legal Clinic, Limited English Proficiency, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, children, constitution, disability, elderly, employment, homeless, housing, hunger, indigent, legal aid, people with disabilities, poll, protection and advocacy system, public interest attorney, self-represented litigant, veterans , http://www.pandasc.org/, P&A, priority work areas, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities Inc., protection and advocacy system, South Carolina, Suggestion Box

Tune In TONIGHT and Tomorrow Morning

The Big Picture is once again featuring a topic of interest to South Carolinians in the civil justice community. This week’s topic is The Working Poor.

For the program, Mark Quinn, the host of The Big Picture, interviewed prestigious guests such as Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Sue Berkowitz of SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center and Dr. Adolphus Belk of Winthrop University.

TV Air Date: TONIGHT: Thursday – August 06, 2009 at 7:30 pm

Every Friday morning “The Big Picture on the Radio” airs on ETV Radio. Discussion focuses the television topic of the week amongst other timely subjects. Be sure to check ‘The Big Picture’ homepage each Friday afternoon to tune in live starting at 1:00 p.m.

TV repeats of Thursdays broadcast will air each Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and again on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Law, Legal, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SCETV, South Carolina, South Carolina Educational Television, The Big Picture, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, blog, employment, homeless, hunger, indigent, labor, legal aid, poverty, poverty guidelines, public interest attorney, state employment security commission, subprime mortgage crisis , August 6 2009, Dr. Adolphus Belk, ETV Radio, Mark Quinn, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Sue Berkowitz, The Big Picture, The Working Poor, TONIGHT, Winthrop University

Legal Services = Basic Needs

Extra! Extra! Read All About it!

Earlier today the United Way of the Midlands released their Community-Needs Assessment Report online at http://uway.org/facing_facts/.

While the report is specific to Richland and Lexington Counties, the issues highlighted in the report may be universal for people living in poverty. According to the report:

Many households in our community daily struggle to pay for housing, utilities, food, clothing and legal help.

While many of us recognize shelter and food as basic necessities, we may not associate legal help as one. And, that’s the legal community’s fault for not publicizing this fact.

For people living in poverty, legal services is often their lifeline. As I note often, as a general rule (there are always exceptions), people do not seek legal assistance when all is going well.

• In the criminal justice arena someone is either the victim of a crime or is accused of perpetrating the crime.
• In civil legal services, it’s very similar. Someone has been wronged or someone receives a complaint for wrongdoing. This can be contractual – landlord/tenant, debt repayment/collections, utilities, etc. It can be in other forms – divorce, child support, child custody, government benefits, etc.

For those of us working in civil legal services, this is second-nature.

And we’re glad that others now recognize it.

Thanks to United Way of the Midlands for collecting this data and publishing the report!

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Court, Law, Legal, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Legal Services, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, housing, hunger, indigent, legal aid, poverty, poverty guidelines , legal services, South Carolina, poverty, civil legal services, United Way of the Midlands, housing, Lexington County, Richland County, Poverty Report, http://uway.org, basic necessities, utilities, food, clothing, Facing Facts

SC Appleseed in the NEWS!

Another SC Access to Justice Commissioner has news or should I say is IN the news today. Sue Berkowitz, the SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center Executive Director, was quoted in the prestigious Wall Street Journal.

The story? Numbers on Welfare See Sharp Increase. Excerpt from the story:

Twenty-three of the 30 largest states, which account for more than 88% of the nation’s total population, see welfare caseloads above year-ago levels, according to a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal and the National Conference of State Legislatures. As more people run out of unemployment compensation, many are turning to welfare as a stopgap.

South Carolina is one of the “leading” states – in which welfare cases have increased from +10% to +30% over last year’s rates. Other states with sharp increases include California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington.

~~~~~~~~~~

On another note, we noted that the SC Appleseed Legal Justice website has a new look too. And we like it!

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Law, Legal, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, employment, homeless, housing, hunger, indigent, poverty, public interest attorney, subprime mortgage crisis , California, Colorado, Commissioner, Florida, Maryland, Numbers on Welfare See Sharp Increase, Ohio, Oregon, SC access to justice commission, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, South Carolina, Sue Berkowitz, Wall Street Journal, Washington, www.wsj.com

Friday Wrap 5.29.09

All the week’s “atj” newsworthy items wrapped up

 Friday Wrap

Texas – Texas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation Recognize Major Contributors to Texas Legal Aid

Chicago, Illinois - ABA Invites Obama to it Annual Meeting

Washington, D.C. – 2nd ABA National Conference on Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities (Hurry for the EARLY BIRD special because after June 1st the registration increases)

United States Supreme Court – President Obama nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court (For more news links, click here. For blog coverage, click here.)

Brooklyn, New York - A Call for Pro Bono at Boro Hall

Lexington, Kentucky – Interview with a True Change Agent

Nashville, Tennessee – New Legal Advice Clinic to Help with Debt Issues

Richmond, Virginia - LINC Recognizes Outstanding Volunteers

Public Justice Center – Donor Inspires Us with $10,000 Gift 

Ventura County, California – New County Program Helping Low-Income Families Adopt

 Winston-Salem, North Carolina – Practical Paralegalism: Paying it Forward

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Credit Card Reforms Could Help Statements

Fairfield, Connecticut – Hard Times Force People Into Family Court “Solo”

Honolulu, Hawaii – Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher Supports Access to Justice Commission

Australia – Pro Bono Work Good for Law Students

New York, New York – Pro Bono Recruitment Drive

San Diego, California – Law Made Public: Legal Research Class for the Self-Represented Litigant

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Court, Health Care, IOLTA, Identity Theft, Immigration, LEP, Law, Legal, Legal Clinic, Legal Documents, Legal Drafting, Legalese, Limited English Proficiency, Plain English, Plain Language, President, Readability, Right to Counsel, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, disability, divorce, domestic violence, elderly, employment, homeless, hunger, indigent, law librarians, law students, legal aid, military, people with disabilities, poverty, poverty guidelines, pro bono, public interest attorney, self-represented litigant, subprime mortgage crisis, veterans , $10000 Gift, 2nd ABA National Conference on Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities, ABA, access to justice commission, Adopt, Adoption, American Bar Association, Australia, Barack Obama, Boro Hall, Brooklyn, California, Chicago, Connecticut, Credit Card Reforms, D.C., Debt Issues, Donor, Fairfield, Family Court, Hawaii, Honolulu, Illinois, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Kentucky, law students, Legal Advice Clinic, Lexington, limited scope representation, Low-Income Families, Nashville, New York, New York City, North Carolina, Obama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, President Obama, pro bono, Pro Bono Recruitment, Pro Bono Work, Public Justice Center, San Diego, self-represented litigant, Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation, Texas Legal Aid, U.S. Supreme Court, United States Supreme Court, Ventura County, Washington D.C., Winston-Salem