Transcript Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County

Legal Aid
Foundation
of Santa Barbara County
Equal Access to Justice
Our Mission
 Our Mission is to ensure that lowincome people and seniors have
access to the civil justice system  to secure safe shelter,
 adequate income,
 and protection from domestic
violence and elder abuse.
Primary Services
 Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse
Restraining Orders
 Housing Discrimination, Habitability
and Eviction Defense
 Social Security, SSI and Public
Benefits Eligibility Appeals
Other Services
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Legal Resource Centers
Telecom Rights Campaign
Consumer Debt Clinic
Project Outreach
Senior Outreach
Advance Health Care Directives
Protection from Abuse
 One Client’s Story
 Our client was a Santa Barbara mother with 2
teenage girls, ages 12 and 16.
 Her ex-husband had been convicted and
imprisoned for sexually molesting his older
daughter.
 The mother came to Legal Aid after her exhusband attempted to contact the older
daughter by having his sister forward her a
letter.
Protection from Abuse
 How Did Legal Aid Help?
 Our client was frightened because her
ex-husband had been released from
prison and the Restraining Order she
had obtained when the abuse was
discovered had expired.
 Legal Aid helped the woman renew the
Restraining Order for another 3 years.
Legal Help for Seniors
 One Client’s Story
 Our client was an elderly Lompoc
woman whose home was being seized
by the Sheriff because of a debt her
deceased husband had neglected to
pay several years earlier.
 The value of her home was far greater
than the amount of the debt.
Legal Help for Seniors
 How Did Legal Aid Help?
 Legal Aid negotiated an agreement
with the creditor’s attorney.
 The creditor agreed to postpone
collection of the debt during the
woman’s lifetime.
 Our client can now remain in her home.
Protecting the Disabled
 One Client’s Story
 Our client was an elderly, slightly
developmentally disabled, monolingual
Spanish-speaking Santa Maria couple.
 They were being evicted from the
home they had rented for 20 years
because they used their rent money to
pay for a family member’s funeral and
repair their only vehicle.
Protecting the Disabled
 How Did Legal Aid Help?
 Legal Aid contacted Adult Protective Services
and secured funds to pay off a portion of the
past due rent.
 Legal Aid then negotiated an agreement with
the landlord that allowed the couple to make
monthly payments over a 1 year period to pay
off the remainder of the past due rent.
 Legal Aid also worked with APS to set up a
payee account for future rent payments so the
couple’s home will not be jeopardized in the
future.
Preventing Homelessness
 One Client’s Story
 Our client was a mildly mentally disabled
Santa Barbara woman who had been ordered
to vacate her apartment while plumbing
repairs were being made.
 Unable to afford a motel and unaware that the
property manager was violating her rights, the
woman took her pet cockatiels and started
sleeping in the park.
Preventing Homelessness
 How Did Legal Aid Help?
 Because the weather was exceptionally hot at
the time, the woman’s pet birds began to
suffer; when she sought help for the birds she
was referred to Legal Aid.
 Legal Aid informed the property manager that
his actions were illegal.
 Legal Aid called the police and arranged for
officers to escort our client and her pet birds
back to her apartment.
Other Help with
Housing
 Fair Housing Advocacy
 Rental property testing.
 Health and Safety Code Enforcement
 Working with code enforcement.
Unmet Needs
 Family Law
 Contested divorces
 Custody and property disputes
 Guardianship applications
 Consumer Law
 Auto loan repossessions
 Credit report corrections
 Wage garnishments
Volunteer Opportunities
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Project Outreach
Senior Outreach
Legal Resource Centers
DVRO Clinics
Consumer Debt Clinic
Internships
Fundraising Committees
Board of Directors
How to Support Legal Aid
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Special Event Sponsorship
“Justice for All” Fund
Monthly Pledge
House Parties
Cy Pres Awards
Annual Auction
Endowment Gift
Bequest
Budget
Revenue
Amount
Percent
Donations & Special Events
$170,000
23%
Government Grants
$235,750
31%
Foundation Grants
$138,000
19%
Bar Grants
$146,400
20%
Fees
$49,400
7%
Total Revenue
$739,175
100%
Labor
$548,704
75%
Professional Fees
$16,100
2%
Program Costs
$144,790
20%
Fundraising Costs
$23,400
3%
Total Expenses
$732,995
100%
Net
$6,180
0.8%
Expenses
Revenue
Re venue Sources
Fe e s
7%
Do na tio ns & Sp e cia l
Eve nts
23%
Ba r Gra nts
20%
Fo und a tio n Gra nts
19%
Go ve rnm e nt Gra nts
31%
Expenses
Expense s by Category
Fund ra ising C o sts
3%
P ro g ra m C o sts
20%
P ro fe ssio na l Fe e s
2%
La bo r
75%
Attorneys & Advocates
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Yvonne Cudney, Director of Litigation
Ellen Goodstein, Program Director
Alex Lambrous, Santa Barbara
Robert Test, Lompoc (starts 1/4/06)
Jane Wierda, Santa Barbara LRC
Diamond Tran, Santa Maria LRC
Elizabeth Diaz, DVRO Coordinator
Support Staff
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Claire Magee, Paralegal
Corine Greensky, Intake Coordinator
Maribel Aguilera, Intake Coordinator
Mari Estrada, Office Manager
Jennifer Ohlmacher, Development
Audrie Krause, Executive Director
Board of Directors
 Officers
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Philip Sinco, President
Garry Tetalman, President-Elect
David Thurber, Vice President
Molora Vadnais, Secretary
Barbara Tzur, Treasurer
Board of Directors
 Members
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Tim Allison
Yvette Andrade
James Cordes
Allan Ghitterman
David Landecker
Jennifer Raphael
Where to Find Us
 Offices
 Santa Barbara:
 301 E. Canon Perdido St.
 Santa Maria:
 301 S. Miller St., Ste. 116
 Lompoc:
 106 S. “C” St., Ste. A
Where to Find Us
 Legal Resource Centers
 Santa Barbara Courthouse
 McMahon Law Library
 1100 Anapamu St.
 Santa Maria Courthouse
 Santa Maria Law Library
 312-C E. Cook St.
Where to Find Us
 Project Outreach (weekly, drop-in)
 Tuesday: Franklin Community Center, SB
 Wednesday: Goleta Community Center
 Thursday: Westside Community Center, SB
 Senior Outreach (monthly, appointment)
 Carpinteria Senior Center
 Goleta Senior Center
 Lompoc Senior Center
Where to Find Us
 Domestic Violence Clinics
 Santa Barbara Office
 Santa Maria Legal Resource Center
 Consumer Debt Clinic
 Santa Barbara Legal Resource Center
Equal Access to Justice
 The Legal Aid Foundation
of Santa Barbara County
 Thank You!