Posted September 30, 202412:57 pm
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland was awarded a $478,532 Pro Bono Innovation Fund (PBIF) grant from The Legal Services Corporation (LSC). Cleveland Legal Aid was one of 21 legal aid organizations in the country to receive the grant.
The grant will help Cleveland Legal Aid expand the Lawyers Advocating for Safe Housing (LASH) project. The LASH project was created in 2022 with the help of another PBIF grant. The goal of the project is to equip volunteer attorneys with the resources and knowledge needed to help tenants facing unsafe housing conditions. So far Cleveland Legal Aid has been able enlist 192 volunteer attorneys. These volunteers have assisted 272 clients in 276 housing cases. The latest stage in the LASH project is to extend these same services to those clients residing in rural areas and those living in housing with extremely high lead levels. This stage also includes bringing in an evaluator to ensure that the program is making an impact and to offer any suggestions to improve it.
“Far too many in northeast Ohio do not have the resources to advocate for themselves and their families,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown, according to a press release from LSC. “The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is an important partner in delivering representation to those who need it, including through its Lawyers Advocating for Safe Housing (LASH) project, helping families with housing concerns. I am proud of the renewed recognition of this and other vital local programs by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which will help our local lawyers continue to provide critical assistance to those who are most in need.”
Source: The Legal Services Corporation - Ohio PBIF Release-LH.docx ; National PBIF Release-LH.docx