This is the wrong time to defund the Legal Services Corporation in Orange and Southeast Los Angeles Counties

When Kallie (name changed for confidentiality) realized she was pregnant, she knew that her life needed to change. After struggles with addiction, she got clean and sober. However, Joe, her child's father, did not. He became abusive and controlling and when Kallie summoned the courage to leave, he threatened her life. Kallie sought and obtained a restraining order that gave her sole legal and physical custody of their daughter, but shortly after, Joe took her back to court to get visitation with their child. It was at this point that Kallie called Community Legal Aid (CLA) SoCal.

Over the course of two years, CLA SoCal's Family Law staff ensured that a safe and reasonable visitation schedule was created that also monitored Joe's progress in his rehabilitation programs, and that Kallie's restraining order stayed in place throughout her daughter's childhood. CLA's work directly provided Kallie physical and emotional security, a better chance to become a productive taxpayer, and the ability to earn and maintain her sobriety. 

The Trump Administration's proposed elimination of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) would have devastating effects on residents of Orange and Southeast Los Angeles Counties. LSC distributes federal funding to civil legal aid programs in every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia. In Southern California, CLA SoCal is the recipient of those funds and has been providing critical civil legal assistance to the community for 67 years.

Civil legal problems can be devastating -- domestic violence, eviction, fraud, predatory debt collections, lack of access to medical care, and loss of income. The civil legal services provided by CLA SoCal are essential for many working families who have a legal problem and cannot afford a lawyer. Last year, attorneys at CLA SoCal closed 10,099 cases, impacting 20,347 household members with legal problems.

If Congress does not preserve LSC's funding in the federal budget, CLA SoCal -- and 129 other similar programs nationwide -- will lose key resources that enable them to effectively serve our communities.

LSC's funding is essential because it provides flexible operating support -- the kind of support that allows CLA SoCal to respond in real time to what our community is facing. Whether it's a fire that displaces thousands of people or a sudden spike in veteran benefit denials, LSC funds give grantees the ability to meet local needs.

State or local funding will not cover the loss of LSC. Legal aid programs like CLA SoCal have relied on federal support for half a century. Eliminating LSC would destabilize a strong and vital network of legal aid organizations dedicated to ensuring justice is accessible at all income levels.

Legal aid also supports a healthy economy. According to LSC's research, legal aid returns $7 for every $1 invested, on average. By solving or preventing legal problems, programs like CLA SoCal help to reduce strain on law enforcement and the courts, and prevent costly public spending on emergency medical care and shelters. Funding LSC is not just an investment in justice -- it's an investment in our economy.

Without LSC funding, CLA SoCal will lose staff and be forced to shrink its caseload. It may not be able to help people like Kallie.

If Congress does not reject the White House's proposed elimination of LSC, fewer survivors of domestic violence will receive life-saving restraining orders. Fewer seniors targeted by scams will be able to turn to CLA SoCal for help. Fewer families will have CLA SoCal's support when they are facing the loss of their homes due to eviction, foreclosure or natural disasters.

The bottom line is this: California residents can't afford to lose LSC.