Virginia Legal Aid Society seeks input as budget shrinks ...

Because of federal budget cuts, the Virginia Legal Aid Society needs help to determine how best to use limited resources to help residents.

While more low-income residents in Danville and Southside need free civil legal services every year, Legal Aid revenues have declined by about 20 percent in the past two and a half years, said VLAS Executive Director David Neumeyer. Next year, Legal Aid faces a deficit of $500,000 for a $2.6 million budget. Without significant help, the nonprofit law firm would need to reduce staff or close an office next year, he added.

While Legal Aid can provide legal advice to most people who contact its ?LawLine,? many people need more help, like lawyers going to court, drafting documents or negotiating on residents? behalf. The society helps 11,000 people in Southside, Central and Western Tidewater every year.

?That makes your input right now particularly important,? Neumeyer told attendees of a community forum at the Danville Department of Social Services on Wednesday afternoon.

Feedback from forums and through surveys will be used in the nonprofit?s five-year strategic planning process.

Foreclosures, utilities, applying for disability, domestic disputes, landlord issues and household budgeting are all problems plaguing Danville residents, attendees told Legal Aid staff Wednesday.

?This area has been hit tremendously with the foreclosures,? said Ronnie Pannell, continuum of care manager at West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition, Inc.

Additionally, Pannell continues seeing residents? utilities cut off, including households with children. Evictions are an issue, too, Pannell said.

?We do have a lot of people who have landlord problems,? said Dianna Meadows, benefits program senior eligibility worker at Social Services.

Landlords won?t fix issues like falling ceilings or rats in basements, for instance, she said.

?We know a lot of our customer base gets in trouble because of their budgeting issues,? said Tess Moss, employment service supervisor at Social Services.

Financial Freedom, a program the nonprofit and other partners brought to the community through the BEST coalition, addresses such personal finance issues. Moss said that program is extremely valuable as many clients need help prioritizing.

Many people just don?t know what Legal Aid can do for them, several attendees agreed.

Legal Aid seeks private donations and asks for more lawyers in the area to consider handling pro bono cases. The Danville office at 519 Main St. has three attorneys and two paralegals.

For more information about Legal Aid and to take the online survey, visit vlas.org or call (866) 534-5243. For more information about the planning process, visit vlasplanning.wordpress.com.

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