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EVERETT
<br /> NMI WASHINGTON
<br /> City of Everett Human Needs Grant
<br /> January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019
<br /> Exhibit A
<br /> Program Summary
<br /> Organization&Program: Snohomish Co. Legal Services: Civil Legal Aid to Low Income Persons
<br /> Snohomish County Legal Services will provide legal assessment and assistance to 300+low-income City of Everett
<br /> residents,who are disabled,elderly,youth,with limited English skills,or otherwise vulnerable and have legal needs
<br /> that impact their ability to meet their daily needs for shelter and food,by assisting them in legal actions involving
<br /> consumer,debtor-creditor,bankruptcy,or family law that will help them maintain a home and have adequate income
<br /> to provide for themselves and their families.
<br /> (1)Program Objective: The objective of this program,Civil Legal Assistance for Low-Income Everett Residents,is
<br /> to assist low-income,disabled,elderly,or youth residents of Everett whose vulnerability impacts their legal needs
<br /> and their ability to ensure that they have a safe home and adequate income to support themselves and their families
<br /> by assisting them with long term housing,consumer,debtor-creditor,bankruptcy,and family law cases. By this
<br /> legal assistance,our goal is to ensure that they have the following: financial assistance in the form of child support
<br /> or spousal maintenance for themselves and their families, domestic violence protection orders that keep them safely
<br /> in their homes,resolution of housing problems,assistance with bankruptcy,debtor-creditor problems or consumer
<br /> issues.One unresolved legal issue,such as consumer abuse,predatory lending,lack of well structures parenting
<br /> plans and domestic violence creates a downward spiral of costly social problems that impact the whole community.
<br /> Our legal services meet Everett Human Needs priorities for Youth,Elderly and Persons with Disabilities and/or
<br /> Barriers.
<br /> (2)Program Components and Structure,: Snohomish County Legal Services(SCLS)is a volunteer attorney program
<br /> with a successful client-centered and resource-efficient approach using volunteer and staff attorneys and paralegals
<br /> in legal advice clinics,self-help classes,and for direct representation of clients. We provide the services described
<br /> below to income-eligible city and county residents,who are at or below 200%of the federal poverty line;in 2014,
<br /> we served over 1,360 clients. Of those clients,40%+will be residents of the City of Everett. In addition,24%of
<br /> the clients who are referred to our office are disabled. A large number have limited English skills. The types of
<br /> services we provide them are described below.
<br /> Full Legal Representation:
<br /> Our staff attorneys as a whole provide full legal representation to victims of domestic violence in protection order
<br /> and family law cases(dissolution,legal separation,and paternity). In determining cases chosen for full legal
<br /> representation,priority is given to cases where the client is a limited or non-English speaker,has physical or mental
<br /> disabilities,where the opposing party is represented by counsel,and/or where there is a safety risk to the children
<br /> involved. We have seen a significant increase in the number of non-English speaking clients in the last two years
<br /> and anticipate that this trend will continue. Because of the increased time involved in assisting these clients,our
<br /> practice is to have staff represent them rather than a volunteer attorney. However,some of our volunteers do accept
<br /> non-English speaking clients,and we assist with the cost of interpretation.
<br /> A senior staff attorney deals with non-family law matters assisting clients in bankruptcy,contract disputes,housing
<br /> disputes other than eviction,guardianships,license revocations and consumer problems. She is responsible for
<br /> recruiting volunteer attorneys to assist with our bankruptcy clinic and to take non-family law cases for direct
<br /> representation.
<br /> We will continue to refer cases to volunteer attorneys for full legal representation based on the areas of priority
<br /> established and annually reviewed by our board of directors. The representation is intended to meet the client's
<br /> legal needs and to help the client gain self-sufficiency and stability through assistance with family law actions to
<br /> dissolve dysfunctional marriages,establish child support and obtain spousal maintenance for education and training,
<br /> 2019 Human Needs Contracts 7
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