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EVERETT
<br /> WASHINGTON
<br /> City of Everett Human Needs Grant
<br /> January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020
<br /> Exhibit A
<br /> Program Summary
<br /> Organization&Program: Snohomish County Legal Services: Domestic Violence and Family Law Clinic
<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 that
<br /> impact their ability to meet their daily needs for shelter and food,by assisting them in legal actions involving consumer,
<br /> debtor-creditor,bankruptcy, or family law that will help them maintain a home and have adequate income to provide for
<br /> themselves and their families.
<br /> (1)Program Objective: The objective of this program,Civil Legal Assistance for Low-Income Everett Residents, is to assist
<br /> low-income,disabled, elderly,or youth residents of Everett whose vulnerability impacts their legal needs and their ability to
<br /> ensure that they have a safe home and adequate income to support themselves and their families by assisting them with long
<br /> term housing, consumer, debtor-creditor,bankruptcy, and domestic violenc/family law cases. By this legal assistance,our
<br /> goal is to ensure that they have the following: financial assistance in the form of child support or spousal maintenance for
<br /> themselves and their families, domestic violence protection orders that keep them safely in their homes,resolution of
<br /> housing problems,assistance with bankruptcy, debtor-creditor problems or consumer issues. One unresolved legal issue, such
<br /> as consumer abuse,predatory lending, lack of well structures parenting plans and domestic violence creates a downward
<br /> spiral of costly social problems that impact the whole community. Our legal services meet Everett Human Needs priorities
<br /> for Youth, Elderly and Persons with Disabilities and/or Barriers.
<br /> (2)Program Components and Structure,: Snohomish County Legal Services(SCLS)is a volunteer attorney program with a
<br /> successful client-centered and resource-efficient approach using volunteer and staff attorneys and paralegals in legal advice
<br /> clinics, self-help classes, and for direct representation of clients. We provide the services described below to income-eligible
<br /> city and county residents,who are at or below 200%of the federal poverty line;in 2014,we served over 1,360 clients. Of
<br /> those clients,40%+will be residents of the City of Everett. In addition,24%of the clients who are referred to our office are
<br /> disabled. A large number have limited English skills. The types of services we provide them are described below.
<br /> Full Legal Representation:
<br /> Our family law staff attorneys provides full legal representation to victims of domestic violence in protection order and
<br /> family law cases(dissolution, legal separation,and paternity). In determining cases chosen for full legal representation,
<br /> priority is given to cases where the client is a limited or non-English speaker,has physical or mental disabilities,where the
<br /> opposing party is represented by counsel,and/or where there is a safety risk to the children involved. We have seen a
<br /> significant increase in the number of non-English speaking clients in the last two years and anticipate that this trend will
<br /> continue. Because of the increased time involved in assisting these clients, our practice is to have staff represent them rather
<br /> than a volunteer attorney. However, some of our volunteers do accept non-English speaking clients, and we assist with the
<br /> cost of interpretation.
<br /> A second staff attorney deals with non-family law matters assisting clients in bankruptcy, contract disputes,housing disputes
<br /> other than eviction,guardianships,license revocations and consumer problems. She is responsible for recruiting volunteer
<br /> attorneys to assist with our bankruptcy clinic and to take non-family law cases for direct representation.
<br /> We will continue to refer cases to volunteer attorneys for full legal representation based on the areas of priority established
<br /> and annually reviewed by our board of directors. The representation is intended to meet the client's legal needs and to help
<br /> the client gain self-sufficiency and stability through assistance with family law actions to dissolve dysfunctional marriages,
<br /> establish child support and obtain spousal maintenance for education and training,through bankruptcy actions to obtain
<br /> debtor-creditor relief, and through assistance with landlord-tenant problems or other actions such as preparation of wills and
<br /> durable powers of attorney.
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