Significance of Legal Aid in Saginaw
Access to Justice: Saginaw Legal Aid’s Integral Role in the Community
Legal Aid of Western Michigan – Saginaw Office
717 Washington Ave Suite 301
Saginaw, MI 48601
989-755-6433
Ways to Give to Legal Aid of Western Michigan
The legal aid impact is significant and important for many low-income community members. Legal aid provides free legal representation and advice to those in need. It helps individuals navigate complex legal systems such as family law, immigration, civil rights, housing, and consumer matters. Furthermore, legal aid can lead to increased stability in communities by ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to justice.
Since 2010 , there has been a 70%+ increase in the number of closed cases that Legal Aid of Western Michigan has provided service. With over 3000 cases closed in 2019, the need for legal assistance continues to grow in the Saginaw, Michigan area.
Legal Aid helps people with most major areas of law with a focus on family, employment, debt, consumer and personal safety issues. By providing free legal assistance, legal aid can help save people in crisis from losing custody of their children, losing their home, or being victimized through consumer fraud or identity theft.
Legal Aid of Western Michigan deals with a lot of serious legal issues. Having an office in downtown Saginaw provides just another layer of representation and community support.
Different Types of Legal Aid
Legal aid services in Saginaw, just like in many other parts of the country, encompass a broad range of issues. They are particularly focused on civil law issues such as family law, public assistance benefits, housing issues and consumer legal issues. Making use of these services is vital for families below the poverty line who are dealing with challenges such as obtaining a divorce, child custody or separation from a spouse. Legal aid professionals are there to provide assistance with the drafting of petitions, represent individuals or work with social agencies to solve particular legal issues. Saginaw legal aid is also available to residents struggling with debt, housing discrimination, wage collections and domestic violence.
Over the past five years, the legal aid organization in Saginaw has closed more than 1,200 cases and has helped nearly 10,000 individuals. This includes almost 3,000 cases that involve education issues, 1,800 individuals who have been helped with family law concerns and 1,500 clients who have sought assistance with housing issues. In addition to handling individual and family cases, legal aid professionals provide frequent group services of clinics, giving education about relevant legal issues and working with local agencies to provide legal advice.
Legal Aid Eligibility
Eligibility for legal aid is evaluated on several factors. Income thresholds, asset limits, contributions to the justice fund, and network-provider referrals can all play a part in whether or not you qualify for legal aid.
Income and Assets
Each legal aid organization sets its own income and asset thresholds. That means there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. However, the history of legal aid services indicates that the average legal aid recipient has an income around the federal poverty level. That level varies by household size, but for 2019, the federal poverty rate was $12,490 for a single-person household. If you own assets, you might not qualify despite having them. Most legal aid programs have $2,000 asset minimums for individuals or $3,000 for families regardless of income.
Contributing to the Justice Fund
In some cases, contribution could be used to grant access to non-recipients. Each legal aid organization operates at its own discretion, but the Michigan State Bar Foundation’s Justice Fund does offer a hand to not-for-profit organizations that want to pay an annual contribution. These annual contributions are $800, which is low compared to the costs of legal aid in general. Funds are distributed to legal aid programs throughout Michigan.
Network-provider Referrals
Of course, legal aid isn’t the only option for affordable legal services. If you’re still concerned about finances, consider talking to an attorney at one of the legal clinics offered in the community. They usually provide free meetings, but could also refer you to a network provider. Similar to Justice Fund contributions, network referrals can be a blessing in disguise to those in need. The Michigan Legal Help website lists the various network providers operating in Michigan.
Application Procedures for Legal Aid
To apply for legal aid in Saginaw, MI, you will most commonly need to go through Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM). To see if you qualify, you can apply in person at your local LSEM office, on their website, or through the phone if they have a call center in your area. The first step of the process is simply to provide details about your financial situation and the legal problem that you have. You’ll need to give general information about your income, assets, expenses, and income for you and others who may live with you. It’s also useful if you have a brief synopsis of your legal matter to help guide the conversation if necessary.
Once you have completed the initial application process, LSEM will either accept or deny it. Acceptance is based on the information they are provided from you and may depend on being below specific income thresholds, possessing few assets, or falling within certain legal subject matters. If accepted, they can help you obtain free legal representation or connect you with a variety of resources in the community.
Some important things to take into consideration before reaching out to legal aid is that: Ultimately, you do have rights in a legal proceeding and there is no reason you should ever concede or represent yourself in a matter where you have a strong case for obtaining legal aid services. If you are facing a legal matter and are in need of assistance, you should reach out to a legal aid organization to see if they can help.
Prominent Legal Aid Organizations in Saginaw
Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (SLSM), while based in Flint, serves Saginaw County as part of its six-county service area. Founded in 1971 by legal aid attorneys in Flint after funding was cut from the Legal Services Corporation, it lived on the desk of his former law partner Robert W. Meyers and then Director Jefferson T. Jennings inception of the Michigan Legal Services Consortium and subsequent formation of SLSM. SLSM provides comprehensive legal assistance to low-income individuals and families with civil legal needs. This organization helps thousands of Saginaw residents each year. SLSM specializes in matters involving domestic violence separation and divorce, housing issues, benefits entitlement, consumer matters, child custody, wills, and executor assistance .
The Saginaw Valley State University Legal Assistance Center provides free legal advice to students from a staff of third-year law students from the Michigan State University College of Law under the supervision of a licensed attorney. The clinic cases are limited to those that do not create a conflict with the university’s Code of Student Conduct, including family law matters, landlord-tenant disputes, name change procedures, some personal injury cases, small claims, employment, and consumer issues among others. Although the clinic does not limit its services to indigent clientele, preference is given to students and those most in need.
The Saginaw County Bar Association also provides legal counseling services to people through a referral service that connects low-income individuals and families with local legal aid partners in the area. They also maintain a volunteer list of local lawyers who take pro bono cases.
Obstacles to Legal Aid Services
Legal aid services in Saginaw, MI face many of the familiar challenges confronting service organizations around the country. Chief among these are funding and resources. Legal aid is funded by a mix of local, state, and federal authorities. Some public sources are diminishing while demand is on the rise, making operations increasingly difficult.
Another common challenge is lack of access. People who rely on public transportation often cannot reach legal aid offices. Sometimes clients need document translation, and legal aid may not have the staff to provide them. Geographic limits are also a problem, as no single organization can serve needs statewide or regionally. An overarching challenge is lack of public awareness-residents don’t even know about legal aid.
Organizations are meeting these challenges with creative programs and dedicated volunteers. To help those who can’t visit an office by car or bus, some offer courtroom assistance, with attorneys on site to help people file motions and represent them in hearings. Legal aid and volunteer attorneys farm out pieces of cases to volunteers, so that no one attorney has to carry the entire load. Each of these measures builds capacity in a system that sometimes feels overwhelmed by need.
Success Stories of Legal Aid Recipients
Maria, a single mother from Saginaw, found herself bogged down by an impending eviction due to mounting medical bills. The stress of potentially losing her home while balancing work and caring for her children was overwhelming. After confiding in a neighbor about her desperate situation, Maria was referred to local Legal Aid of Western Michigan. A dedicated lawyer from the organization assessed her case pro bono and worked tirelessly to negotiate a manageable payment plan with her landlord. Not only was Maria able to stay in her home, but she also regained her peace of mind as she handled her bills with legal protection.
Another individual, Mark, faced a different hurdle. As a veteran with an honorable discharge, he found himself wrongfully denied a claim for disability benefits — his source of income after years of service . Feeling rejected by the very system he fought to protect, Mark contacted the Michigan Poverty Law Program after hearing from friends about their free legal services. A volunteer attorney helped him navigate the complex bureaucracy and successfully overturned the decision after much advocacy. His grant now not only provides for him, but also enables him to better support his family.
Cases such as these are why legal aid organizations continually strive to assist the environment of Saginaw, MI. By empowering those who cannot afford vital legal services, they play a fundamental role in creating stronger communities. The successful stories of assisted clients stand testament to the significance of such free legal services in communities ripped by poverty and inequality.
