New Funds for Legal Services Arrive at a Crucial Time
New funding awards and financial support have recently come through for Legal Aid services! Recent support from area foundations including the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, the Pew Fund for Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Foundation, the Merck Foundation and others will help LASP to meet the high demand for legal services among low-income adults and families. LASP is grateful to these foundations, as their financial support increases staff capacity to serve clients, and ensures that legal aid programs such as the Don’t Borrow Trouble Campaign and Hotline and a public benefits program in Pottstown are able to continue their valuable work.
The recent $50,000 grant from Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation supports VNA Community Services’ Personal Navigator program and expanded Legal Aid staffing to help clients access public benefits in Pottstown. The program is projected to help Pottstown area residents obtain more than $400,000 in government benefits over the next year. In its third year of operation, this project has provided Legal Aid the opportunity to hire Sandra Papp, a public benefits paralegal, in the Pottstown office.
The Pew Fund for Philadelphia awarded a one-year, $20,000 capacity building grant to LASP to support Leadership Development for Succession Planning. This will support consulting assistance and funds for staff development in order to assess leadership needs and increase staff capacity in light of recent organizational changes.
For the third year, The Philadelphia Foundation awarded a general operating grant to Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania The $30,000 grant was awarded to Legal Aid as an organization that has met the standard of “High Performing Organization”.
The Don’t Borrow Trouble (DBT) Suburban Campaign has received a one year $75,000 grant from an anonymous funder that will support a Consumer Education and Legal Service Program for Older Adults in Legal Aid’s four-county area. DBT is a national anti-predatory lending and foreclosure avoidance campaign. Legal Aid’s DBT area hotline is available Monday-Thursday from 9am to 1pm and is staffed with experienced legal advocates that provide mortgage foreclosure and predatory lending assistance and advice. The hotline number is 1-888-275-8843.
The Merck Foundation just awarded $25,000 to support the Montgomery County Division of Legal Aid. Merck and Co. attorneys and paralegals are active volunteers with Legal Aid, an invaluable service.
These recent funders are just a few of Legal Aid’s many financial supporters. A full list of donors can be found under the “About Us-Funders” tab on Legal Aid’s website, www.lasp.org.