October 2009 Feature: Free Legal Services and Preventive Legal Education

Speaker: Josh Abel, Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic

nclegalclinic.org (A separate Fort Wayne page is in development right now)

A faith-based organization, founded 15 years ago in Indianapolis.  Their outreach here began in 2007.  NCLC just hired a FW staff atty this summer: Desiree Koger-Gustafson.   A Burmese interpreter is also on staff here, as well as a Spanish interpreter at times.  This past year, 4,000 people total were served by the Indy and FW offices.

I.  Free Legal Services in 5 primary areas:

A. Immigration (After one year of refugee status, NCLC can help individuals to become permanent residents, then US citizens.  They also help refugees who are victims of violent crime or domestic violence, human trafficking, etc.  Many refugees are undocumented, because of having fled their country without birth records, etc., and need help to secure proof of identity.

B. Housing (NCLC is a HUD-certified counseling agency;  they offer help with budgeting, seeking a reputable lender/mortgage company for potential homeowners, etc.)

C. Family Law (NCLC will not handle divorce proceedings, but will assist with custody cases, child support, etc.)

D. Tax (NCLC is an IRS-designated Low Income Taxpayer clinic)

E. Bankruptcy

any other civil (as opposed to criminal) legal issue

Clients may be sent to Indianapolis for assistance.  Desiree, in Fort Wayne,  mainly focusing on immigration. The organization is hoping to expand the Fort Wayne office.

Location: Comunity Resource Center for Refugees, on Calhoun Street.Clients may come every Monday from 5 to 7 pm.  No appt. is needed. Clients should bring any documentation related to your legal issue. (NCLC hopes to add more intakes at different sites.) All services are FREE to all qualified low-income clients.

(Income guidelines:  125% of fed gov’t guidelines or lower. Can be more flexible, depending on the type of case.)  Anyone can come to an intake.

Additional service times: 3^rd Saturday of the month at 10 am in the Rialto Theater.

II. Preventive Legal Education

NCLC speaks to various organizations, on request. For example,

• Bankruptcy Workshop:  Debt management, financial pitfalls to avoid. This information has a preventative thrust.
• Legal Information
  

Contact Information: CRCforR:  456-8969, x 309 (Desiree Koger-Gustafson)

Funding comes from donations:  United Way of Central Indiana. Many grants from foundations, gov’t, and state legislature fund for civil legal clinics.  Additional funding comes from individuals, Churches and corporate donors.