Unprecedented cuts in federal and state funding have decimated groups that assist the poor in foreclosure, eviction and government benefits cases.

A mortar attack in Afghanistan and years of airborne jumps left former Army Sgt. Joaquin Tasis with lingering shoulder, back and knee pain, plus frequent memory loss and anxiety.
Even though the military discharged him because of his permanent injuries and he is unemployable, the red tape of the federal government repeatedly denied him disability payments.
Tasis, who could not afford a lawyer, turned to Legal Services of Greater Miami for help. After a year of legal wrangling, he prevailed and now receives about $1,000 a month to help support his wife and four children.

“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I could have done it,’’ he said. “The truth is, I don’t think I could have handled the paperwork.”
There may be fewer success stories like Tasis’ in 2012 as organizations that represent the poor in civil court matters experience a dramatic cut in federal and state funding even as demand for services is rising.

Legal Services’ budget has been slashed by 20 percent; this month and five lawyers have lost their jobs.
At Legal Aid Service of Broward, 20 staffers have lost their jobs, including five lawyers, even as the case load has increased by nearly 40 percent in the past three years.
The Florida Bar Foundation, which funds legal aid groups in 67 state counties, has seen its chief revenue source drop a staggering 88 percent since 2008 because it is tied to interest rates — rates that remain rock bottom.

The cutbacks are “absolutely the worst ever,” said Anthony J. Karrat, longtime director of Broward’s Legal Aid. “We’ve had some down periods before, but this one has dragged out beyond anyone’s expectations.”

Unlike those accused of crimes, people in civil court are not constitutionally guaranteed representation.

Legal aid groups step in to fill that void. For decades, they have taken on the cases of the poor.

Groups like Legal Services and Legal Aid help low income clients battle foreclosures, evictions and denials of federal benefits such as unemployment, Medicare and disability payments.
Other groups like Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida also help the indigent who can’t afford attorneys to help them in divorces and domestic violence cases.

Last week, Coast to Coast helped Vida Gibson, 35, of Pompano Beach get access to Medicaid and foot stamps through the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Gibson, a former Navy intelligence officer, has struggled for years with post-traumatic stress disorder, a seizure disorder and bouts of homelessness — which led to her being assaulted by a stranger on the streets recently.

Gibson tried for years to obtain government medical benefits. It took Coast to Coast three days to reach success.

“Getting Medicaid means I’ll be able to get my meds, to be independent,” Gibson said. “It means I can actually continue living and provide for my family.”

But Coast to Coast has lost nearly $400,000 in federal and state funding and expects to lose more as a one-time grant runs out over the next year. Yet, it’s caseload last year grew to 3,386 — up from 2,191 in 2009.

The funding woes stretch across the country.

Nationally, the Washington-based Legal Service Corp., which administers federal funding, has been hard hit by federal cutbacks.

Established in 1974, the corporation provides funding to 135 U.S. non-profit legal programs, making it the largest national funder of legal programs for the indigent. In Florida, it funds seven program, including Legal Services in Miami and Legal Aid in Broward.

In 2010, Congress allocated $420 million to the corporation. This year, the number is down to $348.

In total, that corporation estimated that programs it funds will lay off nearly 400 employees, including 163 attorneys.

“These staff cutbacks are devastating,” LSC President James J. Sandman said in a statement this month. “At a time when low-income families are increasingly seeking legal assistance with matters involving domestic violence, foreclosure, veterans’ benefits and other matters, I am very concerned that these staff reductions will lead to reduced services for the most vulnerable among us.”

At the state level, the Florida Bar Foundation — which doles out a third of all money to legal services groups in the state — has been hard hit from plunging revenue from what is known as the “Interest on Trust Accounts.”

Established in 1971, the fund is supplied by interest collected by trust accounts set up by lawyers across Florida. But revenue plunged when the+ economy tanked in 2008 and the government slashed interest rates.

There is also no light at the end of the tunnel — the Federal Reserve announced this month that record-low interest rates will remain the same for the next three years.

“We’re sort of in the middle of a perfect storm” of funding woes, said Marcia K. Cypen, the Executive Director of Legal Services of Greater Miami, which is staying afloat — for now — on reserve funds.

By: David Ovalle
Dovalle@MiamiHerald.com