Virginia Legal Aid Society and its office in Danville would see cuts as a result of lawmakers slashing 14.8 percent of field grant funding for the Legal Services Corp.
As Legal Services provides grants to nonprofit legal aid programs, the Virginia Legal Aid Society would see a cut of $180,000 or 8 percent of its overall budget, said VLAS Executive Director David Neumeyer.
?I always hate to see these cuts take place for legal aid because it just means we can serve fewer people in crisis,? Neumeyer said.
Legal Services Corp., the nation?s single largest funder of civil legal assistance for low-income Americans, will see funding decrease from $398.1 million currently to $348 million in fiscal year 2012, as a spending agreement passed separately by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on Thursday. Funding was $420 million in 2010 and $404.2 million in 2011.
Local funding cuts wouldn?t take effect until January, but Virginia Legal Aid?s five offices in Danville, Lynchburg, Suffolk, Farmville and Emporia would start immediately reducing discretionary expenses like travel and training, Neumeyer said.
Virginia Legal Aid would then make changes for next year in its budgeting process. Changes could include leaving vacancies open or reducing staff size or hours. The five offices employ 33 people.
The cut comes even when demand for services has increased as a result of the recession and employers leaving the Danville and Martinsville areas, he said. The Danville office helped about 2,300 people and closed 1,008 cased in Danville, Martinsville and Pittsylvania, Henry and Patrick counties in 2010.
Legal Aid reduces poverty, prevents homelessness and ensures those who lose their jobs get needed support or income. The nonprofit mostly helps low-income families in times of crisis, or when residents go through separation, divorce or child custody or support disputes.
So many of the basic needs of our lives, like shelter, income, food, access to health care and family stability are governed by law, Neumeyer explained, but not everyone can afford a lawyer.
Currently, Virginia Legal Aid provides extended help to less than half of the people who need it. That amount would drop further with the federal funding cut.
Federal money provides one-third of the Virginia Legal Aid Society budget. The nonprofit also relies on a variety of public and private sources, like state and local governments, United Way and individual donors. Nationally, private support of Legal Aid has been increasing, and Neumeyer plans to focus more on such fundraising efforts.
Donate online by visiting www.vlas.org.
Source: http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/nov/18/danville-legal-group-faces-fund-slice-ar-1469510/
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