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Celebrate Equal Access to Justice. ICLS Mission Inland Counties Legal Services pursues justice and equality for low income people through counsel, advice,

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Presentation on theme: "Celebrate Equal Access to Justice. ICLS Mission Inland Counties Legal Services pursues justice and equality for low income people through counsel, advice,"— Presentation transcript:

1 Celebrate Equal Access to Justice

2 ICLS Mission Inland Counties Legal Services pursues justice and equality for low income people through counsel, advice, advocacy and community education, treating all with dignity and respect.

3 ICLS Service Area Geographically the largest and second largest counties in the country equal to the size of Connecticut Riverside & San Bernardino Counties Riverside County 7,207 sq. miles San Bernardino County 20,052 sq. miles

4 ICLS Branch Offices Riverside - Western, Southwest, Mid-County Indio – Coachella Valley low desert San Bernardino – Central Valley Rancho Cucamonga – West End Victorville – Mojave High Desert Both Counties: Housing Law Services Center – Housing Hotline & Representation in Eviction Cases

5 Client Outreach Senior Centers Homeless Shelters Domestic Violence Shelters Center on Deafness of the Inland Empire Rural Desert Outreach ICLS collaborates with other stakeholders to deliver legal services to the client community.

6 California Commission on Access to Justice The California Commission on Access to Justices Action Plan for Justice report found that: Since 1980… State population increased 40% Poverty increased 60% 1 in every 5 children is poor - African American & Latino children are even poorer 26% of states workers wages are below poverty

7 Free Private Attorney Help Riverside, Colton, Temecula, Indio, Hemet, San Bernardino, Rialto, Victorville, Chino, Joshua Tree, and Twenty-nine Palms Marine Corps Base ICLS Private Attorney Involvement Program: Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino Public Service Law Corporation of Riverside County Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association Pro Bono Organizations are subgranted federal funds by the ICLS Board of Directors approved by the Legal Services Corporation

8 PUBLIC SERVICE LAW CORPORATION 2009 Clinic Schedule 951-682-7968 Riverside Area 951-244-2920 Southwest County 760-347-9456 Coachella Valley (Indio) Call for Eligibility Screening & Appointments - No Walk-Ins MONDAY & WEDNESDAY CIVIL CLINICS in Riverside TUESDAY & THURSDAY FAMILY LAW CLINICS in Riverside FAMILY LAW CLINICS in Temecula (1-2 times monthly) COACHELLA VALLEY DESERT Walk-In or Call: 760-347-9456 in Indio GUARDIANSHIP CLINICS WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY in Riverside TUESDAY (monthly) in Hemet 2 nd & 4 th FRIDAY in Indio

9 INLAND EMPIRE LATINO LAWYERS ASSOCIATION 2009 Clinic Schedule 2009 Clinic Schedule Eligibility Screening & Appointments Call 951-369-3009 Walk-Ins First Come, First Served MONDAYS in Colton WEDNESDAYS in Riverside 2nd THURSDAY MONTHLY in Ontario SMALL CLAIMS CLINIC 3rd THURSDAY MONTHLY in Riverside LAST SATURDAY MONTHLY CLINIC in Riverside

10 LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF SAN BERNARDINO 2009 Clinic Schedule 909-889-7328 or 1-889-889-7328 (toll free) Focus: Family Law, Guardianships, Conservatorships, UD Answers & Bankruptcy San Bernardino Clinics: MONDAY/TUESDAY/THURSDAY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON (appointment only) 1 st MONDAY MONTHLY 3 rd WEDNESDAY EVENING (appointment only) 1 st WEDNESDAY CLINIC in Rialto 1 st & 3 rd TUESDAY CLINICS in Victorville 2 nd & 3 rd MONDAY CLINICS in Chino 2 nd & 4 th WEDNESDAY in Joshua Tree 3 rd WEDNESDAY in 29 Palms (appointment only)

11 Self-represented litigants, including monolingual Spanish speaking, disabled and illiterate persons, are assisted at the Riverside Family Law Court and at the Indio Larson Justice Center. ICLS Family Law Access Partnership Program (FLAPP )

12 Proyecto Ayuda Legal (PAL) Proyecto Ayuda Legal (PAL) San Bernardino County… In collaboration with the San Bernardino County Superior Court, ICLS attorneys provide legal information to the general public and prepare documents for qualified indigent persons at the San Bernardino Central, Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville Courts, assisting all court users including monolingual Spanish speaking, illiterate and disabled persons.

13 Banning Court Access Project Banning Court Access Project ICLS expanded Access to Justice to mid-county residents in Riverside County by establishing the Banning Court Access Project. ICLS attorneys provide legal resources to self-represented litigants one day a week. This service assists all court consumers access the courts when they receive general legal information. Indigent persons are helped with document preparation.

14 ICLS attorneys represent qualified indigent and elderly tenants and landlords in their eviction cases at: Moreno Valley Court San Bernardino Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville Courts. ICLS Tenant & Landlord Assistance Project

15 Consumers & Workers Legal Assistance Project (CWLAP) ICLS provides legal advice, assistance and representation to low income residents who are experiencing consumer and employment legal problems. ICLS also provides general legal information as well as community legal education presentations.

16 Helping Victims of Domestic Violence ICLS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVOCACY PROJECT OF THE INLAND EMPIRE Attorneys interview clients at ICLS branch offices, shelters and at one-stop Family Justice Centers and provide comprehensive legal assistance, which can include attorney representation in contested matters. Funded by the State Bar of California Legal Services Trust Fund Program with state Equal Access funds and by the Legal Services Corporation.

17 ICLS reaches out to the homeless community throughout San Bernardino County as a member of the Homeless Coalition and in collaboration with the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County. Outreach intake at homeless shelters & centers Legal Education and Advocacy For Homeless Persons (HUD)

18 ICLS provides legal services at senior centers throughout Riverside & San Bernardino Counties Riverside County Office on Aging San Bernardino County Department of Aging and Adult Services Legal Services Corporation Legal Services Trust Fund Program Legal Services for Seniors

19 Client Testimonials…

20 Ms. Irna Key, a single mother with 7 children, is a Section 8 recipient who came to ICLS to preserve her federally subsidized housing benefits. Ms. Key had lived in the same apartment for years and paid her rent to the manager who was her father. Unbeknownst to the client, the manager never deposited the rent money she paid into the apartments bank account and absconded with the rent money. An eviction lawsuit was brought against Ms. Key, resulting in the loss of Section 8 benefits. ICLS defended the client and argued that without a court judgment, the Housing Authority lacked legal grounds to terminate benefits. The Agency reversed its decision and the housing benefits was restored. With the restoration of federally subsidized housing benefits, Ms. Key and her children remained in their home as an intact family household.

21 Clients post-foreclosure eviction case was dismissed when ICLS presented the Court with a forbearance agreement agreed to by the bank which allowed him to keep his home as long as he continued making the mortgage payments. Advocate: Eulalio Castellanos, Esq.

22 Ms. Keyshishyan Lusik, a senior citizen and Armenian immigrant, lives in the Inland Empire with her adult son. She is a low-income citizen who depended on federal Section 8 housing subsidy benefits to pay the rent. When the benefits were terminated, the client and her family were on the brink of eviction and homelessness. The client, who has an extremely limited command of English, completed the annual revenue form (as she had in previous years) and failed to take into account a change in household income. This mistake resulted in an accusation of fraud when she missed listing the income of a family member. Ms. Lusik applied for legal services at ICLS to be able to stay in the family home and to have the Section 8 benefits restored. An ICLS advocate represented her at two hearings and argued that she did not intentionally misrepresent her income and that as a person with Limited English Proficiency, she did not understand the documents and made a mistake. ICLSs advocacy resulted in the restoration of the housing benefits and no eviction. Ms. Lusik said: I am very thankful for Bills Assistance. Advocate: William Peterson Paralegal Eulailo Castellanos, Managing Attorney

23 Ms. Maribel Escobar rented a room from her ex-husband but his girlfriend would not let her use the kitchen. Lacking access to a kitchen, the client was eligible for and received additional Social Security assistance. In January 2008, the ex-husband could no longer afford to purchase food for Ms. Escobar and allowed her to use the kitchen out of necessity. The Social Security Administration contacted Ms. Escobar, asked questions by phone and then sent her a filled out form to sign and return. Although Ms. Escobar had informed the agency that she had temporary access to the kitchen, the completed form she received had been filled out assuming permanent access. Ms. Escobar did not read English and was unaware that the form she signed did not correlate with the information she had given Social Security. As a result, Ms. Escobar was charged with an overpayment of $2,940 which she could not afford to repay. ICLS represented the client and was successful in obtaining a waiver of the overpayment. As a result, the client s check was not reduced and she was able to pay for basic necessities.

24 Referred from an out of state legal services provider for help with a divorce that had been filed in California, Ms. De Cima Belle Lugo was able to protect her right to the community property acquired during the marriage. I am thankful to have been directed to ICLS from an out-of-state Legal Aid Service.

25 ICLS helped this client clear an Unlawful Detainer report on his credit record and also assisted him with additional time to relocate to another residence. It was a blessing to have someone with me in court on my side. Advocate: Sang Banh, Esq.

26 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Amargosa Investment Company, LLC

27 Special Thanks to Our Community Sponsors Aflac, Graciela Lopez Albertsons American Cancer Society, Leslie Lewis Andre Rekte, Girardi and Keese Andrea Guevara, Concilio Child Development Center Danny Morales, Danis Enterprises Food 4 Less G.M. Color Nursery, Gonzalo Medrano G/M Business Interiors, Judi Harvey George S. Theios, Attorney at Law Gourmet Detective Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association, Inc., Enrique R. Acuna, Esq. Jazz/Classical Guitarist, Taylor Pluim Soulpurpose Wesbrook Landscape

28 Special Thanks to Our Silent Auction Donors: SILENT AUCTION CLOSES AT 6:30 pm AMERICAN EAGLE WINERY AMY STUMP AURELIA WICK BARBARA PURVIS BRADFORD RENAISSANCE PORTRAITS BRINKER INTERNATIONAL CASTLE PARK CHERRIE ORNELLAS CRUZ CUSTOM TAILORS FIESTA VILLAGE FLORENCE MORENO GOURMET DETECTIVE GREEN RIVER GOLF CLUB IN-N-OUT JASONS DELI LA DODGERS LEGOLAND LEXIS NEXIS MENIFEE LAKES COUNTRY CLUB MIRACLE SPRINGS RESORT & SPA MISSION INN FOUNDATION MISSION INN HOTEL MORONGO CASINO RESORT PALA CASIINO SPA RESORT RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY PLAYERS ROWLEY PORTRAITURE SOULPURPOSE THE QUEEN MARY

29 The dream is a quality vacation and the reality is the Maui Sunset where you can reserve your place in the sun each year. "Maui No-Ka Oi" or Maui is the best! Condos located in "MAUI KIHEI" Available July 6, 2010 - July 19, 2010 Sleeps 4 to 6 People - $10.00/per ticket Or 3 tickets for $20.00 Opportunity Drawing

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