MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES

Oregon legal aid programs assist low-income Oregonians all across the state. Legal aid represents people with high priority needs—food, shelter, medical care, income maintenance and safety from harm. About forty percent of our work is in family law, usually helping victims of domestic violence. Here are some brief snapshots of people we assisted this year.

Supporting Families

Helen is the mother of five young daughters, all under the age of 11.  She endured serious domestic violence at the hands of her husband, which her children often witnessed.   Helen’s religious beliefs kept her from showing her injuries to the police, so the police could not arrest her husband.  When Helen’s husband threw her out of the home and denied her requests to see the children, Helen turned to legal aid for help.  With the assistance of legal aid, she obtained a restraining order so she and her children could be safe. Legal aid continued to represent Helen through her divorce, and ultimately obtained a favorable decision on her behalf regarding custody and child support. Helen and her daughters are now safe from the violence they suffered every day.

 

Helping Our Seniors

Mary was 84 years old and because she had dementia, her daughter was appointed as her guardian/conservator.  Mary’s daughter sold Mary’s home, stole the proceeds, and threatened to move Mary to foster care in another county.  Mary was referred to legal aid by county protective services. Legal aid stopped the move and also worked to recover the stolen funds and property, some of which went into a supplemental needs trust for Mary.

 

Doug and Cathy Jory live on a tight budget consisting of $1,000 social security disability every month. After Doug had two majorsurgeries, life became more chaotic than ever. When their mortgage was transferred to another company, they began getting an extra $100 per month charge they could not afford.  The Jorys did not know where to turn, and then a friend referred them to legal aid.  Legal aid helped the Jorys recover all the fees that had been illegally charged and also saved their home from being at risk of foreclosure. Cathy said, “I could not have handled this alone. I didn’t have anyone listening to what I was saying until I went to legal aid. Having someone who knows the law…it was a lot of help.”

 

Protecting the Family Home

Thirty-three year old Carrie is a single mother of Mike.  Carrie worked hard to maintain her family home that was given to her when her mother passed away.   When Carrie became disabled after an assault at work, she understood that her mortgage insurance was covering her house payments while she recovered.  After a few months, Carrie found out her house was in foreclosure when her brother saw her home listed in a foreclosure sale notice!  It turned out that the bank had incorrectly filed Carrie’s paperwork regarding the insurance payments.  Legal aid acted quickly to stop the foreclosure.  Now secure in her home, Carrie is on the road to stabilizing her life. She is in job training to get a steady job to support her family.  Carrie says, “My legal aid lawyer was a blessing to me.”

 

Giving Hope, Opening Doors

Fatima lived with violence every day. Physically assaulted and held prisoner in an arranged marriage, she saved up quarters from the laundry money and made a plan for herself and her baby son. The day Fatima was able to escape, she took a bus to Immigration Services in Portland. Officials there referred her to legal aid. Legal aid staff helped Fatima obtain a divorce and get custody of her child. Today she is a Certified Nursing Assistant and she is studying to be a Registered Nurse.

 

Helping When Disaster Strikes

Bend legal aid helped Michael and his family when they lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Trying to start over in Central Oregon, Michael was penalized by the IRS for unpaid taxes. Legal aid helped him amend his tax return to fully describe the family’s hurricane losses. Instead of penalties, the family received a refund.

 

 

Preventing Homelessness

Charles, a developmentally delayed senior, almost lost his childhood home, the only place he had ever lived. When his parents passed away, Charles couldn’t afford the property taxes or the liens left by his parents’ medical bills. Legal aid was able to help. They filed a small estate affidavit, secured quitclaim deeds from his siblings, and negotiated with the estate’s creditors. The creditors withdrew their claims. With the house now in his name, Charles is able to qualify for a tax deferral.

 

 

Protecting Children

Anna could see that her son Juan was in danger. His father was abusive to Anna and, when he was drinking, he was abusive and neglectful towards Juan. Legal aid helped Anna get an order requiring supervised parenting time. When Juan’s father attacked the supervisor, legal aid helped end the father’s parenting time.

 

If you are looking for legal assistance, please click here for a list of legal aid offices in Oregon. For other free legal information, click here.