The Trump administration’s proposed elimination of the Legal Services Corporation would have devastating effects on residents of the Mahoning Valley. Community Legal Aid has been providing critical civil legal assistance to the community for 73 years and 30% of its funding comes from LSC.
Civil legal problems can be devastating — domestic violence, eviction, fraud, predatory debt collections, lack of access to medical care, loss of income. The civil legal services provided by CLA are essential for many working families who have a legal problem and cannot afford a lawyer.
I know firsthand the value of getting help with a legal problem from CLA. Many years ago, as a mother of three children whose husband was incarcerated, I was facing foreclosure and homelessness. The bank had a lawyer helping them. But I could not afford a lawyer. So I turned to CLA for help. I am forever grateful to my legal aid attorney who represented me and saved my home from foreclosure. She also helped me with other legal issues that were preventing me and my children from thriving. And today, I’m the co-founder and executive director of a nonprofit organization, United Returning Citizens, helping formerly incarcerated people transition to successful lives in the Mahoning Valley.
LSC distributes federal funding to civil legal aid programs in every U.S. state, territory and the district of Columbia. If Congress does not preserve LSC’s funding in the federal budget, CLA — and 129 other similar programs nationwide — will lose key resources that enable them to effectively serve our communities.
State or local funding will not cover the loss of LSC. These legal aid programs 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.
For fiscal year 2025, LSC received a congressional appropriation of $560 million. This accounts for 0.035% of the domestic budget. This relatively small expenditure makes a huge impact on the wellbeing of working Americans. This is not frivolous government waste — this is an investment in justice for all, and these are our federal tax dollars coming back to serve our community.
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 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.
I have served on the CLA Board of Directors since 2018, with four of those years as president. As a board member, I have witnessed the life-changing impact legal assistance from CLA has for veterans, older adults, survivors of domestic violence, and our neighbors facing eviction, foreclosure, overwhelming debt and loss of income. In the past year, attorneys at CLA assisted clients in over 4,900 cases.
If Congress does not reject the White House’s proposed elimination of LSC, fewer seniors targeted by scams will be able to turn to CLA for help. Fewer veterans will receive CLA’s assistance in attaining their earned benefits. Fewer families will have CLA’s support when they are facing the loss of their homes due to eviction and foreclosure.
The bottom line is this: Ohio residents can’t afford to lose LSC.
Dionne Dowdy-Lacey is executive director of United Returning Citizens. She has been a member of the Community Legal Aid board of directors for seven years.
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