New Haven Legal Assistance Association

Transcription

1 New Haven Legal Assistance Association General Information Contact Information Nonprofit New Haven Legal Assistance Association Address 205 Orange Street New Haven, CT Phone (203) Web Site Web Site Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter At A Glance Year of Incorporation 1964 Organization's type of tax exempt status Organization received a competitive grant from the community foundation in the past five years Public Supported Charity 1

2 Mission & Areas Served Statements Mission New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc.'s mission is to provide high-quality legal services to individuals, families and groups who are unable to obtain legal services because of limited income, age, disability, discrimination and other barriers. Background New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc. (LAA) is a nonprofit organization that was incorporated on April 7, 1964 to "secure justice for and to protect the rights of those residents of New Haven County unable to engage legal counsel." LAA was one of the first legal services programs established and the federal government used it as a model for similar programs throughout the country. We provide low-income people with equal access to the justice system by providing legal help to individual clients. We create long-lasting improvements to the rights and living conditions of low-income people in our community by strategically prioritizing legal work that will make systemic improvements benefitting large numbers of low-income people. We help members of our community learn to protect their own rights by coordinating and participating in community education and outreach, and contributing self-help and legal education content to CTLawHelp.org. We prioritize providing legal assistance to the elderly, people with disabilities, children, domestic violence survivors, immigrants, low-wage workers, individuals at risk of homelessness, and individuals who face additional challenges to representing themselves, such as limited English proficiency, illiteracy or low-literacy. Impact In 2018, New Haven Legal Assistance opened 1,377 new cases for people with low income. For these individuals, access to a lawyer helped them preserve housing, get needed health care, obtain protection from violence and get the benefits, wages and jobs needed to meet their families basic needs. Of the 1,304 cases we closed in 2018, positive outcomes were recorded in 99.8% of the cases. Needs Our most pressing need is for additional staff to meet the great demand for our services. The state will provide a free attorney to low-income people charged with a crime, but that is not the case for most civil legal matters. A 2008 survey by the University of Connecticut Center for Research and Analysis revealed that 71% of lowincome households in Connecticut experienced at least one legal problem during the past year. More than four in ten households (43%) had experienced three or more legal problems in the past year. Since that survey was taken, the number of low-income households in Connecticut -including greater New Haven and the Lower Naugatuck Valley - has increased as a result of the recession. For every low-income person in our service area that we are able to represent, we have to turn many more away. CEO Statement For nearly 55 years, LAA has served the Greater New Haven community by providing high quality legal services to people who could otherwise not obtain a lawyer. Through individual representation, community outreach, and systemic advocacy we strive to positively impact low-income people in our community. Founded in 1964, we were established in the same year in which President Lyndon Johnson declared the war on poverty and signed the Civil Rights Act. These two moments in history have helped to define LAA s ongoing efforts to (1) ensure our client community has equal access to the justice system; (2) achieve long-lasting improvement in the rights and living conditions of significant segments of the client community; and (3) to foster our clients' ability to protect their own rights and to participate in decisions which affect their lives. Our priorities, strategies and delivery systems have changed over the years to adapt to changes in the client community s legal needs, changes in the practice of law and changes in available resources. But our primary function, goals and values have remained constant. We pride ourselves on being responsive to the needs of the community. Our recent immigration work and community and economic development efforts demonstrate our focus on meeting the needs of our client population. We serve low-income people living in the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck Valley regions. 2

3 Board Chair Statement New Haven Legal Assistance provides access to equal justice for our most vulnerable citizens and those who live on the margins of our society (frequently without an advocate). By providing high quality legal services to its clients (and our fellow brothers and sisters), Legal Aid not only makes a difference in their lives but enriches all our lives by helping to ensure that the democratic ideals established in our founding documents and fought for by our forebears remain available to all its citizens. Legal Aid provides hope and changes lives. Rev. Hiram L. Brett President, New Haven Legal Assistance Association Service Categories Primary Organization Category Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy / Civil Rights Areas Served Ansonia Bethany Branford Derby East Haven Guilford Hamden Madison Milford New Haven North Branford North Haven Orange Oxford Seymour Shelton Wallingford West Haven Woodbridge 3

4 Programs Programs Legal Services Description New Haven Legal Assistance provides high-quality legal services to individuals and groups unable to obtain legal services because of limited income, age, disability, discrimination and other barriers. LAA provides legal services in the following areas: child protection consumer criminal defense education family housing (includingfair housing) immigration public benefits disability rights workers' rights We use a combination of individual representation, impactlitigation, policy advocacy and community legal education to improve the lives of poor people and to increase access to justice. Budget $4,099, Category Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, General/Other / Population Served Program is linked to organization s mission and strategy Short Term Success Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Poor,Economically Disadvantaged,Indigent / Unemployed, Underemployed, Dislocated / Elderly and/or Disabled Short-term success depends on the client's legal problem. For a victim of domestic violence, it is obtaining a restraining order. For someone facing eviction, it is having the eviction prevented or obtaining additional time in the housing to find substitute housing. For a client who has been denied unemployment insurance benefits or lacks access to medical care, success is being awarded unemployment benefits on appeal or gaining access to Medicaid so they can seek the needed medical treatment. Our long-term goals are to ensure equal access to justice, to achieve long-lasting improvement in the rights and living conditions of our client community and to foster our clients' ability to protect their own rights. Outcome measures. At the time each case is closed, the advocate records the results their legal work produces for the client - for example, our intervention may have prevented the client's electricity from being shut off, or helped the client get SSI disability benefits or forced the landlord to fix unsafe conditions in the client's apartment. Client satisfaction surveys. At each case closing, a short survey is mailed to each client asking whether they are satisfied with the service they received; whether they were told enough about what was going on with their case; whether their choices were explained clearly; whether they were you given enough information to make decisions in your case; whether they are satisfied with the outcome; and whether they were treated with dignity and respect by NHLAA staff. Starting on January 1 of this year, we have also begun collecting financial outcome data at the time of case closing. Some of the most important results we get for clients cannot be measured in dollars and cents (i.e. family reunification, protection from family violence). However, in many cases our work results in an economic benefit to the client: for example, when we recover unpaid wages from an employer, obtain a child support order or an award of social security disability benefits. 4

5 Examples of Program Success Since 2016, we have represented 3,959 individuals. We recently explored the trespassing policies of New Haven's housing authority, which banned formerly incarcerated persons from visiting their families and contributed to the re-incarceration of these, mostly young, black, men on parole. We identified the racial flaws with the policy and successfully advocated for a more fair and equitable policy. In 2018, we created a new Community and Economic Development (CED) unit, consisting of one attorney and two community organizers. This unit has worked on issues of affordable housing, food justice, and economic justice. We have also continued to increase our capacity to represent undocumented immigrants living in the Greater New Haven area. In 2018, NHLAA attorneys opened nearly 100 new immigration cases involving asylum, removal, U-Visa, T-Visa, Violence Against Women (VAWA), and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). 5

6 Leadership & Staff CEO/Executive Director Alexis Smith Term Start Nov Staff Number of Full Time Staff 34 Number of Part Time Staff 6 Number of Volunteers 20 Number of Contract Staff 0 Staff Retention Rate 94% Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 7 Asian American/Pacific Islander 2 Caucasian 27 Hispanic/Latino 4 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Staff Demographics - Gender Male 6 Female 34 Unspecified 0 Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Under Development Under Development Under Development 6

7 Former CEOs and Terms Name Term Susan Garcia Nofi Sept Nov 2016 Senior Staff Alexis Highsmith Smith Title Experience/Biography Deputy Director Prior to joining NHLAA, Alexis was a staff attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid, where she represented low-income parents and students holistically, predominantly in special education matters and expulsion hearings. She also advocated for ex-offenders whose criminal records serve as a barrier to obtaining employment and other life sustaining benefits through the pardons application process, employmentdiscrimination claims, and legislative advocacy. She obtained her J.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and is admitted to practice law in Connecticut, the Federal Court for Connecticut, and the United States Supreme Court. Alexis is past president of the George Crawford Black Bar Association. She currently serves as secretary of the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (CONNCAT), secretary of Community Partners in Action, and past chair of Highville Charter School. Alexis is also a James W. Copper Fellow for the Connecticut Bar Foundation. Shelley A. White Title Experience/Biography Litigation Director Shelley has been fighting for the civil rights of low-income people with LAA since She develops, manages, and supervises all federal cases, state court class actions, and appeals. She also coordinates amicus work done by LAA on cases raising issues of concern to our client community. She currently sits on the board of directors at the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and is a past president of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project. Shelley received the David H. Neiditz Professional Writing Award, 1994 (for best appellate brief in a Connecticut case), was a James Cooper Fellow and is a Connecticut Bar Foundation life member. For the last decade, she has been on the faculty for an Affirmative Litigation course for legal services attorneys currently sponsored by the Shriver Center in Chicago, IL. She worked for the Connecticut ALCU from , and at Georgia Legal Services in the Douglasville office. Shelley graduated from Boston College Law School and is a member of the Bar of the State of Connecticut and a member of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Laura E Clark Title Controller R. Elizabeth Rosenthal Title Deputy Director 7

8 Collaborations We have many partners in the legal and social services communities. We regularly make client referrals between our organization and area social service, health and other providers. We belong to the Valley Council of Health and Human Services Agencies and the Milford United Way Council of Agency Executives. We work in tandem with Connecticut's other legal services programs. We have statewide task forces for each of the substantive law areas in which we work, at which our advocates share information, co-counsel in some cases, and work together on policy initiatives. NHLAA, Connecticut Legal Services, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut and the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut share technology and other resources and make joint funding proposals for statewide legal projects. We are also fortunate to have good partners in the Connecticut Judicial Branch and the private bar. We work with the Connecticut and New Haven County Bar Associations on educational and pro bono initiatives. Our Executive Director is a member of the Judicial Branch's Access to Justice Commission, its Pro Bono Committee and participates on the Judicial Branch's web board as a liaison between the branch and Connecticut's legal aid programs. 8

9 Board & Governance Board Chair Rev. Hiram Brett Company Affiliation Whitneyville United Church of Christ Term Oct 2018 to Sept 2020 Board of Directors Name Barbara Bellucci Sister Mary Ellen Burns Michael Caldwell Scott Casper Maggie Castinado Jennifer Celentano Thomas Dembinski John Doroghazi Affiliation Victim Advocate Apostle Immigrant Services Connecticut Public Defender Law Offices of Jennifer M. Celentano, LLC Dembinski Law Wiggin and Dana LLP Evette Hamilton City of New Haven - Board of Alders - Ward 24 Beverly Hodgson James Horwitz Sung-Ho Hwang Steve Jacobs Scott Jones Barbara Katz Kia Levey Jennifer Quaye-Hudson David Reif Angela Robinson Jennifer Willcox Koskoff Koskoff and Bieder Law Offices of Sung-Ho Hwang Jacobs & Jacobs LLC Connecticut Public Defender Law Office of Barbara H. Katz Educators for Excellence Wiggin and Dana LLP Legal & Risk Services Dept. - Yale New Haven Health System Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 6 Asian American/Pacific Islander 1 Caucasian 13 Hispanic/Latino 1 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 9

10 Board Demographics - Gender Male 10 Female 11 Unspecified 0 Governance Board Term Lengths 3 Board Term Limits 0 Board Meeting Attendance % 49% Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 6 Written Board Selection Criteria Written Conflict of Interest Policy Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 59% Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 0% Constituency Includes Client Representation No 10

11 Financials Financials Fiscal Year Start Jan Fiscal Year End Dec Projected Revenue $4,901, Projected Expenses $5,246, Endowment Value $1,042, Spending Policy Income Only Percentage (if selected) 0% Detailed Financials Prior Three Years Total Revenue and Expense Totals Chart Fiscal Year Total Revenue $4,868,628 $4,183,325 $4,036,428 Total Expenses $4,255,331 $4,161,055 $4,038,054 Prior Three Years Assets and Liabilities Chart Fiscal Year Total Assets $3,276,932 $2,448,336 $2,532,389 Current Assets $2,172,987 $1,518,445 $1,633,145 Long-Term Liabilities $182,277 $152,638 $164,583 Current Liabilities $162,152 $142,101 $267,979 Total Net Assets $2,932,503 $2,153,597 $2,099,827 Prior Three Years Top Three Funding Sources Fiscal Year Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Court Fees Grant-in- Aid (State of CT) $1,947,675 Court Fees Grant-in- Aid (State of CT) $1,947,675 State of CT - Court Fees Grants-in-Aid $2,038,304 Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount CT Bar Foundation: IOLTA $358,119 CT Legal Services: VOCA grant (federal) $233,072 The CT Bar Foundation IOLTA $358,119 Judicial Branch Grant-in-Aid (State of CT) $242,384 IOLTA - Interest on Lawyers Trust Account $313,025 State of CT - Judicial Branch Grants-in-Aid $240,000 Solvency Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency 11

12 Fiscal Year Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 6% 6% 6% Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? No Goal $0.00 Comments CEO Comments We continue to make diligent efforts to seek public, private and foundation support for legal aid. We continue to seek out grants that are a good fit with our mission as those opportunities become available. Our fundraising board continues to work diligently to plan fundraising activities, promote LAA s work, and execute its recently adopted development plan. The fundraising board meets monthly and is very active. Under the new leadership of our governing board, that body has also committed to helping us identify new funding sources. We will again hold our annual Equal Access to Justice reception this spring and we have begun the planning stages for that event, including securing sponsorships. Foundation Staff Comments This profile has been read by Foundation staff and the organization has completed the fields required by The Community Foundation and updated their profile in the last year. To see if the organization has received a competitive grant from The Foundation in the last five years then please go to the General Information Tab of the profile.financial information is inputted by Foundation staff directly from the organization s IRS Form 990, audited financial statements or other financial documents approved by the nonprofit s board. The Foundation has not audited the organization s financial statements or tax filings, and makes no representations or warranties thereon. Created Copyright 2019 The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven 12