LSC - Legal Services Corporation
09/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2024 15:12
New LSC Report Shows Increase in Housing Cases, Number of Low-Income Americans Helped by Legal Aid
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Carl Rauscher
Director of Communications and Media Relations
[email protected]
202-295-1615
WASHINGTON-The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has released "By the Numbers: The Data Underlying Legal Aid Programs." The report provides an overview of the work of LSC-funded legal services organizations on behalf of low-income Americans seeking civil legal assistance.
It includes data on the services LSC-funded legal aid organizations provided around the country in 2023, as well as information on client demographics, program staffing, revenue, expenses and involvement by private attorneys.
"This report demonstrates the profound impact that LSC's grantees are having on the lives of low-income Americans facing critical civil legal issues," said LSC President Ron Flagg. "It underscores the importance of the resources Congress dedicates to civil legal aid."
A major finding of the report is that LSC grantees reached a 10-year high in the number of cases closed. Grantees closed more than 771,000 cases for their low-income clients in 2023, including 158,253 cases involving domestic violence. This number was lower in recent years, reflecting the enormous pandemic-related disruptions to LSC grantees, the courts and the lives of Americans.
The total number of veteran households served increased by 5% between 2022 and 2023. LSC grantees assisted 34,142 of these households with their legal needs, including veterans' benefits claims and discharge upgrades.
Housing cases continued to dominate in 2023. Driven by evictions, these cases made up 39.5% of the cases closed by LSC grantees. This is the second year in a row that housing cases have comprised such a large percentage. Cases related to family law made up the second largest category of cases closed at 25.8%.
LSC grantees also provided legal education or information to 1.2 million individuals at presentations, events, court help desks and other venues. Throughout the year, these organizations served more than 1.9 million clients and their household members.
Read the report and view more of the major findings here.